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
Brad Lendon, CNN, 5 July 2024
That’s enough to catapult this hip-high projectile from zero to 62 mph in less than three seconds and whisk it from zero to 186 mph in just 9.1.
—Robb Report Staff, Robb Report, 4 July 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
Meanwhile, North Korea’s growing missile program, which has seen Pyongyang send missiles over Japanese territory in recent years, draws condemnation from Tokyo with every projectile test.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 5 July 2024
That’s enough to catapult this hip-high projectile from zero to 62 mph in less than three seconds and whisk it from zero to 186 mph in just 9.1.
—Robb Report Staff, Robb Report, 4 July 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 15 Jul. 2024.
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