cruise missile
noun
: a guided missile that has a terrain-following radar system and that flies at moderate speed and low altitude
Examples of cruise missile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There have been numerous close calls, and the U.S. Navy in essence has been at war in the Red Sea for the past two years, facing near-constant attacks by Houthi ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, and firing expensive SM-2 and SM-3 missiles to counter the Houthi harassment.
—
Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
Alternative options have always existed—imperial Germany used Zeppelin airships in World War I to subdue the city of London, and Nazi Germany developed V-1 cruise missiles and V-2 ballistic missiles in World War II.
—Raphael S. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025
The new system will use a system-of-systems approach to stymie enemy ballistic missiles alongside defeating both hypersonic and cruise missiles.
—James Stavridis, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
In a statement later in the day, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles from inland areas toward waters off the west coast at around 4 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Saturday.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruise missile
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
Alternative options have always existed—imperial Germany used Zeppelin airships in World War I to subdue the city of London, and Nazi Germany developed V-1 cruise missiles and V-2 ballistic missiles in World War II.
—Raphael S. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025
The new system will use a system-of-systems approach to stymie enemy ballistic missiles alongside defeating both hypersonic and cruise missiles.
—James Stavridis, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
In a statement later in the day, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles from inland areas toward waters off the west coast at around 4 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Saturday.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruise missile
Cite this Entry
“Cruise missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise%20missile. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share