intercontinental ballistic missile
7
7.4
- noun
- /ˌɪntərkənˈtɪnəntəl bəˈlɪstɪk ˈmɪsəl/
- Specialized
:
misil balístico intercontinental
- Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles are larger and less mobile than the Iraqi Scuds were, and they are harder to move without detection.
It's called an ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile, so that it can travel from one continent to the other.
- It's called an ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile, so that it can travel from one continent to the other.
- So the president orders the launch of the ICBMSICBM stands for intercontinental ballistic missile.
Examples
-
Minot Air Force Base was a major Strategic Air Command facility, hosting intercontinental ballistic missiles, bombers, and refueling planes.
Blog text (27) -
It may be able to develop several dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching anywhere in the United States.
Academic text (2002) -
Just the guidance system to a Russian SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile.
-
It's called an ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile, so that it can travel from one continent to the other.
-
Once China was under attack, its leaders might come to fear that even intercontinental ballistic missiles located deep in the country's interior were vulnerable.
Academic text (2018) -
This morning, the first full-range firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, was conducted by the United States.
-
The Russians sent intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear-equipped MiG fighter-bombers into the region.
Fiction book (1995) -
Thus, the principle of proportionality required the United States not to use its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) against Iraq.
Academic text (1991) -
Strategic stability stemmed from mutual renunciation of strategic defense systems against intercontinental ballistic missiles, which eliminated incentives for the Soviet Union and the United States to build up offensive nuclear capabilities.
Academic text (2000) -
This morning, the first full-range firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, was conducted by the United States.
Synonyms
14
7.9
A long-range rocket weapon that can travel between continents and carry nuclear weapons
How Far
- Specialized
7
7.4
- Specialized
45
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
intercontinental + ballistic + missile
Each constituent contributes directly to the whole: 'intercontinental' = across continents, 'ballistic' = following a momentum/gravity-driven trajectory, and 'missile' = a projectile weapon, so the combined meaning 'a weapon that travels between continents on a ballistic trajectory' is predictable. This is a standard modifier + noun composition found cross-linguistically and would be understandable to a B1 learner who already knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Intercontinental ballistic missile breaks into clear parts: intercontinental means 'between continents', ballistic gives the image of something 'thrown in a high curve', and missile means a weapon. So the phrase paints a simple picture of a weapon 'thrown' on a long curved path to reach another continent, which is why it means 'a missile that can travel from one continent to another'.