1.
[syn: surface-to-air missile, SAM]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Missile \Mis"sile\, n. [L. missile.]
1. A weapon thrown or projected or intended to be projected,
as a lance, an arrow, or a bullet.
[1913 Webster]
2. A rocket-propelled device designed to fly through the air
and deliver a warhead of explosive materials to a target.
[PJC]
Note: Numerous types of rocket-propelled missile[2] are now
used in modern warfare. Some types with names
indicating their range or function are: antiaircraft
missile; ballistic missile; cruise missile;
antiballistic missile missile; air-to-air missile;
air-to-ground missile; guided missile;
intercontinental ballistic missile (IBM);
intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM);
surface-to-air missile.
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
surface-to-air missile
n 1: a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an
airborne target [syn: surface-to-air missile, SAM]