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

Felix provided the shotgun and ammunition.

From Los Angeles Times

Crusius bought a semiautomatic rifle online and 1,000 rounds of hollow-point 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition.

From Salon

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

Two different Frelimo offices were reportedly attacked in Nampula, prompting the police to respond with tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition, killing one person.

From BBC

Related Words

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