ammunition

[ am-yuh-nish-uhn ]

noun

1. the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.
2. the means of igniting or exploding such material, as primers, fuzes, and gunpowder.
3. any material, means, weapons, etc., used in any conflict:

   a crude ammunition of stones.

4. information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim:

   Give me some ammunition for the debate.

5. Obsolete. any military supplies.

ammunition

/ ˌæmjʊˈnɪʃən /

noun

1. any projectiles, such as bullets, rockets, etc, that can be discharged from a weapon
2. bombs, missiles, chemicals, biological agents, nuclear materials, etc, capable of use as weapons
3. any means of defence or attack, as in an argument

Word History and Origins

Origin of ammunition¹

1620–30; < Middle French amonitions, amunitions (plural) military supplies ( a- a- ⁵ + munition < Latin; munition ), or < French la munition, wrongly analyzed as l'amunition

Word History and Origins

Origin of ammunition¹

C17: from obsolete French amunition, by mistaken division from earlier la munition; see munition

Example Sentences

Ukraine’s military earlier confirmed that it had struck an ammunition warehouse in the Russian region of Bryansk, but it did not specify whether Atacms were used.

From BBC

These missiles, which are launched from an aircraft, fly close to the speed of sound and carry highly explosive warheads making them an ideal weapon for penetrating Russian bunkers and ammunition stores.

From BBC

There are also questions over how much ammunition will be provided, said Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defence in the Obama administration.

From BBC

Russia has also started to launch fake drones, without any explosives, to confuse Ukraine’s air defence units and force them to waste ammunition.

From BBC

He was found with an arsenal of weaponry, including assault rifles, handguns and ammunition, according to a Berkeley Police Department media release.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ammo
• armament
• bomb
• bullet
• cartridge
• chemical
• explosive
• gunpowder
• materiel
• missile
• munition
• napalm
• rocket
• shrapnel
• torpedo