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 After all, early analysis showed that only five of the 120 ballistic missiles fired from Iran actually crossed into Israeli territory, and that none of the 170 drones or 30 cruise missiles did. Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024 Russia launched three Iskander cruise missiles at the city, which is just 60 miles from the Russian border and was nearly encircled by Russian troops in early 2022. Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024 Coalition defense The attack Saturday from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon included some 350 drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and rockets, with about 60 tons of explosive materials, the Israel Defense Forces said. Shoshanna Solomon, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024 In the end, U.S. officials estimate that Iran launched some 300 missiles and drones, including more than 100 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles. Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024 By Anna Gordon April 15, 2024 1:53 PM EDT Israel’s leaders met today during a war cabinet meeting to discuss the country’s response after Iran launched a combination of 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles towards Israeli soil in the early hours of Sunday morning. Anna Gordon, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024 The administration’s expectation is Iran will launch more than 100 drones, dozens of cruise missiles and dozens of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli government sites, not civilians or religious sites, one of the officials said. NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024 Iran has the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones in the Middle East, including cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, experts say, as well as short-range and long-range ballistic missiles with ranges up to 2,000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles). Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 Meanwhile, Israel operates a range of systems to block attacks from everything from ballistic missiles with trajectories that take them above the atmosphere to low-flying cruise missiles and rockets. Brad Lendon, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cruise missile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cruise missile was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near cruise missile

Cite this Entry

“Cruise missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise%20missile. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on cruise missile

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!