missiles
missiles — noun
- missilessingular
- missilesesplural
1. a weapon that travels through the air using its own engine power, designed to hi
a weapon that travels through the air using its own engine power, designed to hit a target that may be very far away and explode on impact
A missile launched from a warship destroyed the enemy radar station within minutes.
passive: launched from [platform]
The army tested a new missile that flies at five times the speed of sound.
collocation: travel at [speed]
An early warning system detected the incoming missile and triggered the alarm.
The treaty banned all missiles with a range greater than five hundred kilometers.
Residents heard a loud explosion when the missile hit the warehouse at dawn.
- rocket
broader term — rockets can be weapons or space vehicles; missiles are always weapons
- projectile
broader still — any object fired or thrown, not necessarily self-propelled
- warhead
only the explosive part of a missile, not the whole vehicle
文法句型
adjective + missile (e.g., long-range missile)
missile + noun (e.g., missile strike)
launch/fire + a missile
用法筆記
Frequently used in compounds such as 'guided missile', 'ballistic missile', 'cruise missile', and 'long-range missile' to specify the type and capability.
常見錯誤
2. something that a person picks up and throws at someone else with the aim of hurt
something that a person picks up and throws at someone else with the aim of hurting them or breaking something
During the riot, demonstrators hurled missiles including bottles, stones, and metal pipes at the officers.
collocation: hurl missiles at [someone]
The referee stopped the match after a fan threw a missile onto the pitch.
Police warned that throwing any missile at players would lead to immediate arrest.
A prisoner made a missile from plastic and threw it at the guard.
- projectile
more technical term; implies a scientific or military context
- thrown object
plain-language equivalent, less dramatic in tone
文法句型
throw/hurl + a missile + at + someone
use + something + as a missile
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense refers to any everyday object used as a thrown weapon (stones, bottles, cans), not purpose-built military hardware. Common in descriptions of protests, riots, and sports misconduct.
missiles — adjective
- missilespositive
- more missilescomparative
- most missilessuperlative
1. describing a weapon, tool, body part, or physical position that is designed for
describing a weapon, tool, body part, or physical position that is designed for or used in throwing an object by hand at a distant target
Spears and throwing knives are examples of ancient missile weapons used by hunters.
collocation: missile weapons
The sling is a simple missile device that launches small stones at high speed.
Roman soldiers carried missile weapons such as javelins to weaken the enemy before charging.
Ancient armies used missile technology like slingshots to attack from a distance.
The atlatl is a hand-powered missile tool that launches darts very quickly.
- throwing
the natural modern equivalent for body parts and sports actions ('throwing arm', 'throwing stance') — far more common than 'missile' in everyday use
- projected
broader — includes items launched by devices (bows, slings), not just thrown by hand
- hurled
emphasizes forceful throwing, but is a verb form, not an attributive adjective
文法句型
missile + noun (e.g., missile weapons, missile tools)
throwing + noun (e.g., throwing arm, throwing stance)
用法筆記
Used attributively (before the noun). Most common with 'weapons' and 'tools' in historical or archaeological writing about pre-gunpowder warfare. In sports and everyday contexts, 'throwing' is the natural replacement — for example, 'throwing arm', 'throwing stance', and 'throwing technique' are standard English, whereas 'missile arm' and 'missile stance' are not used in modern English.