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water cannon

American

noun

a truck-mounted hose or pipe that shoots a jet of water through a nozzle at extremely high pressure, used especially in dispersing rioters or demonstrators.

water cannon British

noun

an apparatus for pumping water through a nozzle at high pressure, used in quelling riots

"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 water cannon

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

The Taiwanese boats also have water cannon and a 20-millimetre static machine gun, but are careful to avoid a confrontation that "could lead to unimaginable consequences", Huang said.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

"Think of the monsoon as a loaded water cannon, and western disturbances as the trigger," he explained.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

One woman brandished a Georgian flag as she braved a stream of water cannon, while another walked headlong into a barricade of police standing behind riot shields.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2024

The scream was just right — bloodcurdling, if also very funny — and the practical effects crew had finally found the proper volume and trajectory of the water cannon.

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2024

It hit Artemis then, like a blast from a water cannon.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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