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
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Monday Russia had launched more than 900 drones at Ukraine in three days, mixed in with ballistic and cruise missile strikes.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
Upon investigating the townhouse, police allegedly found blood splatters and recovered an array of items, including a saw, chicken wire, ballistic helmets, body armor, and night vision goggles.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2025
This approach would significantly increase the number of shots that defenders can take against ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
—Iain Boyd, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
The wine bag company’s two-bottle Pico is chic enough to use as a tote and made of durable ballistic nylon—similar to the luxury material used in Formula 1 race cars.
—Editors Of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 2025
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Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
Upon investigating the townhouse, police allegedly found blood splatters and recovered an array of items, including a saw, chicken wire, ballistic helmets, body armor, and night vision goggles.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2025
This approach would significantly increase the number of shots that defenders can take against ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
—Iain Boyd, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
The wine bag company’s two-bottle Pico is chic enough to use as a tote and made of durable ballistic nylon—similar to the luxury material used in Formula 1 race cars.
—Editors Of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 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 6 Jun. 2025.
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ballistic
adjective
bal·lis·tic
bə-ˈlis-tik
: of or relating to ballistics
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