pro·jec·tile
prə-ˈjek-tᵊl 
-ˌtī(-ə)l
-ˌtī(-ə)l
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)
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
Massimo Calabresi / Washington, TIME, 4 June 2024
Within minutes, Israel responds with artillery rounds that whistle to their target and explode, just over the hill – the latest of some 13,000 projectiles the U.N. says have flown back and forth across this border in the previous month.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for projectile 
Noun
With Israel leading the way, the ad hoc alliance managed to shoot down all but four of the projectiles, with no fatalities.
—Massimo Calabresi / Washington, TIME, 4 June 2024
Within minutes, Israel responds with artillery rounds that whistle to their target and explode, just over the hill – the latest of some 13,000 projectiles the U.N. says have flown back and forth across this border in the previous month.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 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
See all Example Sentences for projectile
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.
Dictionary Entries Near projectile
Cite this Entry
“Projectile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/projectile. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
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