anti-ballistic missile
1
6.3
- noun
- /ˌænti bəˈlɪstɪk ˈmɪsəl/
- Specialized
:
misil antibalístico
- They could then negotiate and pay for their own anti-ballistic missile defense.
- anti-ballistic missile system
- anti-ballistic missile defense
- anti-ballistic missile treaty
Examples
-
When the U.S. government isn't busy expanding corporate control over the planet, it's trying to restart the arms race with a proposed anti-ballistic missile plan.
Academic text (2001) -
As many of you know, I have been travelling through the region assuring our allies that the anti-ballistic missile shield will give our troops and our allies in Eastern Europe a new level of safety and security.
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He was an aerospace engineer, and for some reason, it makes me think-- he worked for a long time on this huge project called Safeguard which was an anti-ballistic missile defense system deployed in the mid '70s, and it was only deployed for one month, and then it was taken off due to the SALT II treaty.
-
To increase Israel's tolerance for extended diplomatic engagement, the U.S. government should bolster Israel's deterrent capabilities by providing an enhanced anti-ballistic missile defense capability and a nuclear guarantee.
Academic text (2009) -
The new anti-ballistic missile system successfully intercepted and destroyed the incoming threat.
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After extensive testing, the defense experts praised the effectiveness of the anti-ballistic missile technology.
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Countries are investing heavily in anti-ballistic missile systems to enhance their national security against potential attacks.
Synonyms
7
8.2
A missile that destroys incoming long-range missiles
1
5.9
A weapon that shoots down incoming missiles sent from far away
A weapon or system made to stop incoming missiles before they reach their target
How Specialized
- Specialized
1
6.3
- Specialized
19
6.3
- Specialized
15
8.4
- Specialized
∞
4.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
anti-ballistic + missile
The phrase is directly compositional: anti- (against) + ballistic (relating to ballistic missiles) + missile yields a missile intended to counter ballistic missiles. This formation follows regular English prefixation and compound noun patterns and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The compound anti-ballistic missile comes from anti- meaning 'against' and ballistic missile meaning a missile that goes high into the sky and then falls back. The picture is of one missile launched to meet and destroy another in mid-air, so the term means 'a missile that shoots down other missiles'.