ballistic
adjective
bal·lis·tic
bə-ˈli-stik 
1
: extremely and usually suddenly excited, upset, or angry : wild
He went ballistic when he saw the dent in his car.
and the crowd goes ballistic
2
: of or relating to the science of the motion of projectiles in flight
3
exercise
: being or characterized by repeated bouncing
ballistic stretching
4
physics, of an object in motion
: behaving like a projectile
But the Bell Labs switch uses such a low current that the few ballistic electrons are a distance of a micrometer or more apart …—
Robert Pool
Robert Pool5
of a material
: capable of resisting or stopping bullets or other projectiles
ballistic glass
ballistic nylon
… engineered specifically to be worn under ballistic vests and shirts.—K. M. Reese
K. M. ReeseExamples of ballistic in a Sentence
she went ballistic when she discovered her brother reading her e-mail
Recent Examples on the Web
This one, made from ballistic nylon, has a zippered entry to a padded laptop compartment, a padded mesh back panel, a key leash, plus pen holders and tons of other organizational features.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025
Russia has been launching waves of ballistic and cruise missiles towards Ukraine on regular basis, and been striking cities, energy infrastructure and civilian targets weekly.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
Patriot systems, the Army's most advanced air defense system, can take down ballistic and cruise missiles, while NASAMs can intercept some aircraft, UAVs, and cruise missiles, according to the Congressional Research Service.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
There have been numerous close calls, and the U.S. Navy in essence has been at war in the Red Sea for the past two years, facing near-constant attacks by Houthi ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, and firing expensive SM-2 and SM-3 missiles to counter the Houthi harassment.
—Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballistic
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Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025
Russia has been launching waves of ballistic and cruise missiles towards Ukraine on regular basis, and been striking cities, energy infrastructure and civilian targets weekly.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
Patriot systems, the Army's most advanced air defense system, can take down ballistic and cruise missiles, while NASAMs can intercept some aircraft, UAVs, and cruise missiles, according to the Congressional Research Service.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
There have been numerous close calls, and the U.S. Navy in essence has been at war in the Red Sea for the past two years, facing near-constant attacks by Houthi ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, and firing expensive SM-2 and SM-3 missiles to counter the Houthi harassment.
—Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballistic
Cite this Entry
“Ballistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballistic. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ballistic
adjective
bal·lis·tic
bə-ˈlis-tik
: of or relating to ballistics
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