surface-to-air

American

[sur-fis-too-air] / ˈsɜr fɪs tuˈɛər /

adjective

(of a missile, message, etc.) capable of traveling from the surface of the earth to a target in the atmosphere.

adverb

from the surface of the earth to a target in the atmosphere.

an antimissile missile fired surface-to-air.

surface-to-air British

adjective

of or relating to a missile launched from the surface of the earth against airborne targets

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of surface-to-air

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Japan's defence minister upped the ante by saying on Tuesday that Tokyo planned to deploy surface-to-air missiles on one of its remote western islands located near Taiwan by early 2031.

From Barron's

For 15 hair-raising minutes, the pilots struggled to evade a half-dozen surface-to-air missiles, spraying countermeasures and executing a series of high-G maneuvers.

From The Wall Street Journal

In November, the Nordic country announced it was spending around $366 million on IRIS-T surface-to-air short-range missiles to protect itself against missiles, drones and combat aircraft.

From Barron's

Koizumi pushed back on Tuesday, saying "the medium-range surface-to-air guided missiles planned for deployment are defensive equipment intended to counter aircraft and missiles invading our nation".

From Barron's

To protect its skies from ballistic missiles, Kyiv has asked its Western partners for at least 10 units of Patriot surface-to-air defence systems which can detect and intercept oncoming missiles.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023