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Definition of "projectile" [pro•ject•ile]

  • A fired, thrown, or otherwise propelled object, such as a bullet, having no capacity for self-propulsion. (noun)
  • A self-propelled missile, such as a rocket. (noun)
  • Capable of being impelled or hurled forward. (adjective)
  • Driving forward; impelling: a projectile force. (adjective)
  • Zoology Capable of being thrust outward; protrusile. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "projectile" in a sentence
  • "If this wasn't about arbitrary exclusion at the core of it, no one would be arguing about which sort of tension driven projectile is sufficiently technologically backward to count."
  • "SD Bob, while I can't argue with the point that if something is double lunged it WILL die, I will say that it is less likely that an arrow will go through both lungs in comparison to a projectile from a rifle or shotgun."
  • "Go with at least a .277 dia with a 150+ grain projectile with good terminal ballistics characteristics: mass retention and expansion (see Barnes or Nosler)"