Phrase guide

ballistic missile

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A missile that is initially guided, but then follows a ballistic (freely falling) trajectory.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aerospace, astronautics, business, engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: missile, weapon

2

noun

Meaning 2

a missile that is guided in the first part of its flight but falls freely as it approaches target

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: missile

Narrower terms: intercontinental ballistic missile, ICBM

History

Etymology

From ballistic + missile.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صَارُوخ بَالِسْتِيّ (ṣārūḵ bālistiyy) — missile
  • Armenian: բալիստիկ հրթիռ (balistik hrtʻiṙ) — missile
  • Belarusian: балісты́чная раке́та (balistýčnaja rakjéta) — missile
  • Bulgarian: балисти́чна раке́та (balistíčna rakéta) — missile
  • Chinese Mandarin: 彈道導彈 /弹道导弹 (dàndào dǎodàn) — missile
  • Chinese Mandarin: 彈道飛彈 /弹道飞弹 (dàndào fēidàn) — missile
  • Czech: balistická raketa — missile
  • Danish: ballistisk missil — missile
  • Dutch: ballistische raket — missile
  • Estonian: ballistiline rakett — missile
  • Finnish: ballistinen ohjus — missile
  • French: missile balistique — missile
  • Georgian: ბალისტიკური რაკეტა (balisṭiḳuri raḳeṭa) — missile
  • German: ballistische Rakete — missile
  • Hungarian: ballisztikus rakéta — missile
  • Irish: diúracán balaistíochta — missile
  • Irish: diúracán balaistíoch — missile
  • Italian: missile balistico — missile
  • Japanese: 弾道ミサイル (dandō misairu) — missile
  • Korean: 탄도 미사일 (tando misail) — missile
  • Korean: 탄도 유도탄 (tando yudotan) — missile
  • Korean: 화성포 (hwaseongpo) — missile
  • Latvian: ballistiskā raķete — missile
  • Macedonian: балистичка ракета (balistička raketa) — missile
  • Mongolian: баллистик пуужин (ballistik puužin) — missile
  • Mongolian: харвалзүйн залуурт сум (xarvalzüjn zaluurt sum) — missile
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ballistisk missil — missile
  • Polish: pocisk balistyczny — missile
  • Polish: rakieta balistyczna — missile
  • Portuguese: míssil balístico — missile
  • Romanian: rachetă balistică — missile
  • Russian: баллисти́ческая раке́та (ballistíčeskaja rakéta) — missile
  • Serbo-Croatian: балистичка ракета — missile
  • Serbo-Croatian: balistička raketa — missile
  • Slovak: balistická raketa — missile
  • Slovene: balistični izstrelek — missile
  • Spanish: misil balístico — missile
  • Swahili: kombora la balistiki — missile
  • Swedish: ballistisk robot — missile
  • Ukrainian: балісти́чна раке́та (balistýčna rakéta) — missile
  • Vietnamese: tên lửa đạn đạo — missile