ICBM
pronunciation
How to pronounce ICBM in British English:
UK 
How to pronounce ICBM in American English:
US
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- Noun:
- a ballistic missile that is capable of traveling from one continent to another
Word Origin
- ICBM (n.)
- 1955, initialism (acronym) for Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile.
Example
- 1. But as far as russian and chinese radars are concerned , the htv-2 could very well be an icbm potentially armed with a nuke and headed for beijing or moscow .
- 2. Norad issued warnings that went out to the entire intercontinental ballistic missile ( icbm ) force and put the president 's airborne command post in the air ( without the president ) .
- 3. The cold war is now history , and various treaties have led to the reduction of nuclear arsenals in both the united states and russia . But the icbm is still around , and still lethal .
- 4. But the possibility of iran being able to wave a nuclear-armed icbm at american cities within two or three years cannot be discounted , and the rational behavior of president mahmoud ahmadinejad cannot be assumed .
- 5. There 's the 1980 event in damascus , arkansas , when a worker accidentally dropped a wrench into an icbm silo , puncturing a titan ii missile . It eventually exploded , blasting a 750-ton silo door a quarter of a mile away and launching the nuclear warhead into the air .