- 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 ⇒ informal 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 /bəˈlɪstɪk/ adj