Definition

1. Noun:
   • A guided projectile: A ballistic missile is a type of missile that is guided during the initial, powered phase of its flight but follows a free-falling, unpowered ballistic trajectory toward its target for the remainder of its journey.

Usage

• A ballistic missile is a strategic weapon system. Its flight path is largely determined by the laws of ballistics after its rocket engines stop firing and it is no longer under active guidance.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The country conducted a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
  • Ballistic missiles can carry conventional or nuclear warheads over very long distances.

Advanced Usage

• "Ballistic missile defense (BMD)": Systems designed to detect, track, and intercept incoming ballistic missiles.
  • The nation invested heavily in ballistic missile defense technology.

Variants and Related Words

• Ballistic (adj): Relating to the science of projectiles (ballistics) or to a ballistic trajectory.
  • The rocket entered a ballistic arc after engine cutoff.
• Cruise missile (n): A guided missile that uses aerodynamic lift to fly at low altitudes for its entire flight, contrasting with a ballistic missile's trajectory.
• Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) (n): A specific class of ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 kilometers.

Synonyms

• Guided missile (in a broad sense, though this term is more general and includes cruise missiles).
• Projectile (in the context of its unguided, ballistic phase).

Related Phrases

• Ballistic trajectory: The curved path an object follows under the influence of gravity alone, after being launched.
  • The warhead follows a ballistic trajectory to its target.
• Re-entry vehicle: The part of a ballistic missile that carries the warhead and re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.
  • The ballistic missile's re-entry vehicle separated successfully.

Noun

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