projectile

1 of 2

noun

pro·​jec·​tile prə-ˈjek-tᵊl How to pronounce projectile (audio) -ˌtī(-ə)l How to pronounce projectile (audio)
 chiefly British  ˈprä-jik-ˌtī(-ə)l
1
: a body projected by external force and continuing in motion by its own inertia
especially : a missile for a weapon (such as a firearm)
2
: a self-propelling weapon (such as a rocket)

projectile

2 of 2

adjective

1
: projecting or impelling forward
a projectile force
2
: capable of being thrust forward

Examples of projectile in a Sentence

Noun The cannon fires a ten-pound projectile. Someone threw a projectile at her car.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On December 17th, a projectile hit the children’s ward of Nasser. Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024 Balls or any object that can be used as a projectile. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 To produce such a catastrophic energy projectile, an equally powerful explosion is in order, which is where gamma-ray bursts come from. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024 When the police advanced at just after 9 p.m. that night, Salama-Tobar was hit in the eye with a projectile that left her bleeding and half-blind, her lawyers said in court filings. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said the teen was at a nearby carwash near a service station when he was hit in the head by a projectile, possibly a tank, that shot out of the fire amid continuous explosions. Elissa Robinson, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 There really are no advantages to having a blank in a pistol versus an Airsoft gun [which replicates the action of a real firearm without using projectiles]. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024 Bob Knight threw his famous chair in February 1985 Indiana coach Bob Knight famously turned a chair into a projectile during a basketball game against Purdue on Feb. 23, 1985. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Feb. 2024 This week’s military projectile discovery was an old, heavily deteriorated bazooka round potentially from the World War II era, the state police spokesman, Dave Procopio, told CNN on Wednesday. Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
This, together with competition from H. sapiens, who likely possessed technologies like projectile weapons, likely contributed to these other human species going extinct. Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023 There are projectile weapons, energy swords, missile launchers, shields, and more. Ash Parrish, The Verge, 25 July 2023 Jones, who also declined to comment for this article, has said his goal in suing the city and Bueno was not just to win a settlement for himself but to confront the lack of accountability within the department — particularly around the misuse of projectile weapons. Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023 Jones’ attorneys have said Bueno fired far more than other officers with projectile weapons, and that the true total is unknowable because his body-camera was turned off for much of the day. Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023 This is used to describe a player or hero that does damage without any projectile travel time. Dallas News, 3 May 2022 Many animals have projectile weapons: some ants can spray formic acid; the bombardier beetles can spew immobilising glue. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2011 Extremely curious how this arc melee enhancer will work if as expect, Hunters get a projectile arc melee for 3.0. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Along with the drone, police used an armored personnel carrier to approach the suspect, and then brandished both a military-style assault rifle and a projectile launcher that fires nonlethal rounds of hardened sponge. Joe Tash, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'projectile.' 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

Noun

1564, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of projectile was in 1564

Dictionary Entries Near projectile

Cite this Entry

“Projectile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/projectile. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

projectile

noun
pro·​jec·​tile
prə-ˈjek-tᵊl
: something (as a bullet or rocket) thrown or driven forward especially from or for use as a weapon
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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