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
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During the Late Cretaceous, dinosaurs—including Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor—roamed the land, shortly before the notorious Chicxulub impactor nearly wiped them out.
—
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Because of the orbital motions of the Saturnian moon and its impactor, the debris would likely have first formed a long stream, most of which would have lain in the direction of that moon’s orbital motion.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
That huge space rock, known as the Chicxulub impactor, is widely believed to have ended the reign of non-avian dinosaurs, altering the planet's climate and paving the way for mammals to rise from the proverbial ashes.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
This doesn't, however, mean that exactly one cell per year gets sent to Venus, because impactors that create the ejecta holding such cells aren't exactly regular occurrences.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2025
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Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Because of the orbital motions of the Saturnian moon and its impactor, the debris would likely have first formed a long stream, most of which would have lain in the direction of that moon’s orbital motion.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
That huge space rock, known as the Chicxulub impactor, is widely believed to have ended the reign of non-avian dinosaurs, altering the planet's climate and paving the way for mammals to rise from the proverbial ashes.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
This doesn't, however, mean that exactly one cell per year gets sent to Venus, because impactors that create the ejecta holding such cells aren't exactly regular occurrences.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for impactor
Dictionary Entries Near impactor
Cite this Entry
“Impactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impactor. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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