impactor
noun
im·pac·tor
im-ˈpak-tər 
variants
or impacter
1
: a machine (such as a steam or air hammer or a pile driver) or part that operates by striking blows
2
Examples of impactor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, impactors are also excavators, carving into the crust of the parent body.
—
Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Asteroid defense mission with observer and impactor Wu Weiren, chief designer of the nation’s lunar exploration programme and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, announced the project during the third Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) International Conference in Hefei, Anhui province.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, called the Chicxulub impactor, is estimated to be between 6 to 9 miles in diameter.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
The Jezero impactor hit about the same time that life first formed on Earth and when liquid water was stable on the Martian surface.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for impactor
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Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Asteroid defense mission with observer and impactor Wu Weiren, chief designer of the nation’s lunar exploration programme and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, announced the project during the third Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) International Conference in Hefei, Anhui province.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, called the Chicxulub impactor, is estimated to be between 6 to 9 miles in diameter.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
The Jezero impactor hit about the same time that life first formed on Earth and when liquid water was stable on the Martian surface.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for impactor
Cite this Entry
“Impactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impactor. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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