warhead
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- the front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents