Definition

Noun: The front section of a missile, rocket, torpedo, or similar projectile, designed to carry and deliver the payload, which is typically an explosive, nuclear, chemical, or biological agent.

Usage

The word "warhead" specifically refers to the payload-carrying section at the front of a delivery system. It is a technical term used in military, defense, and geopolitical contexts.

Examples

• The missile's warhead contained a conventional high explosive.
• Inspectors were concerned about the chemical agents in the torpedo's warhead.
• The development focused on making the warhead smaller yet more powerful.

Advanced Usage

• MIRV (Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicle): A system where a single missile carries multiple nuclear warheads, each capable of hitting a different target.
  • Example: The treaty limited the number of warheads each MIRV missile could carry.
• "To arm a warhead": The process of making a warhead ready to detonate upon impact or signal.
  • Example: The weapon cannot be used until its warhead is armed.

Variants and Related Words

• Payload: A broader term for the part of a vehicle's load (in aircraft, rockets, etc.) that generates revenue or, in military terms, the explosive or destructive part of its load. A warhead is a type of payload.
• Ogive: The often cone-shaped curved nose of the warhead or missile itself.
• Warhead is a compound word formed from "war" + "head".

Synonyms

• Payload (in the specific context of weapons)
• Charge (as in explosive charge)
• Munition

Antonyms

• Dummy round
• Inert payload
• Practice round

Related Phrases

• Nuclear warhead: A warhead whose energy comes from nuclear fission or fusion.
• Conventional warhead: A warhead filled with chemical explosives, as opposed to nuclear or biological agents.
• Warhead detonation: The explosion of the warhead.

Noun

1. the front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents