of or relating to ballistics denoting or relating to the flight of projectiles after power has been cut off, moving under their own momentum and the external forces of gravity and air resistance (of a measurement or measuring instrument) depending on a brief impulse or current that causes a movement related to the quantity to be measured: a ballistic pendulum - go ballistic ⇒
to become enraged or frenziedly violent
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
bal•lis•tic
(bə lis′tik),USA pronunciation adj.
bal•lis′ti•cal•ly, adv.
ballistic, +adj.
- Physics, Rocketryof or pertaining to ballistics.
- Physics, Rocketryhaving its motion determined or describable by the laws of exterior ballistics.
- Informal Terms, Idioms go ballistic, to become overwrought or irrational:went ballistic over the idea of a tax hike.
- ballist(a) + -ic 1765–75
ballistic, +adj.
- Informal Terms, Idioms go ballistic, to become overwrought or irrational:went ballistic over the idea of a tax hike.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'ballistic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ABRV
- ALBM
- ASBM
- Atlas
- BMEWS
- ICBM
- IRBM
- Jupiter
- LRBM
- MRBM
- MX
- Minuteman
- Pershing
- Polaris
- Poseidon
- Redstone
- Star Wars
- TCBM
- Thor
- Titan
- Trident
- V-2
- Yankee
- antiballistic
- antiballistic missile
- antimissile
- antimissile missile
- artillery
- ballistic camera
- ballistic galvanometer
- ballistic missile
- ballistic pendulum
- ballistic trajectory
- ballistic wind
- ballistics
- contraorbital
- corporal
- delta
- fleet ballistic missile submarine
- fluxmeter
- hotel
- intercontinental ballistic missile
- intermediate range ballistic missile
- midcourse
- missile
- re-entry vehicle
- reentry vehicle
- sea-launched ballistic missile
- sergeant
- throw weight