ammunition
Americannoun
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ammunitions
plural
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the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.
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the means of igniting or exploding such material, as primers, fuzes, and gunpowder.
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any material, means, weapons, etc., used in any conflict.
a crude ammunition of stones.
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information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim.
Give me some ammunition for the debate.
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Obsolete. any military supplies.
noun
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any projectiles, such as bullets, rockets, etc, that can be discharged from a weapon
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bombs, missiles, chemicals, biological agents, nuclear materials, etc, capable of use as weapons
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any means of defence or attack, as in an argument
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ammunition
1620–30; < Middle French amonitions, amunitions (plural) military supplies ( a- a- 5 + munition < Latin; see munition), or < French la munition, wrongly analyzed as l'amunition
Explanation
Soldiers carry their ammunition: the bullets and shells needed for their guns. The word ammunition is used to describe the supply of shells or bullets used for a gun, as well as nuclear, chemical or biological matter that can be used in much larger weapons. But we also use it for metaphorical attack material. If you're trying to prove that your big brother is a jerk, your neighbor's story about how he kicked her dog is ammunition for your argument.
Vocabulary lists containing ammunition
Words from "The Avengers"
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Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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World War I
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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.
See Examples For:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ammunition depot destroyed on Friday contained artillery shells and drones—and under Ukrainian law shouldn’t have been located in a populated area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
After a tipoff, intelligence services and police found two handguns and ammunition stashed in a hideout in the forest, Dobrindt said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Questions have been asked about the weapons used, the amount of ammunition, and why slaughter in situ was chosen as the method of disposal.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
But during a search of his vehicle, investigators said, they recovered a revolver and additional ammunition, as well as speed loaders, which allow multiple chambers of a gun to be loaded at once.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
And the Romans had six onagers, all stocked with piles of ammunition.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
The weapons and ammunitions segment posted a 38% jump in third-quarter sales to 691 million euros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Italy and the Czech Republic are among the European countries sending Indian ammunitions to Ukraine, it added.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024
They also captured the Yarmouk ammunitions factory in June, seized areas east of the strategic Halfaya Bridge and recently took over the south Khartoum and Omdurman Central Reserve Police bases, according to residents and analysts.
From New York Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
Stoltenberg said he expected ministers on Friday to agree new targets for the stockpiling of battle-decisive ammunitions, after an announcement he made in February.
From Reuters ● Jun. 14, 2023
The guns of the second platoon were brought from Lunéville on the evening of March 7, and caissons of ammunitions followed during the night.
From Battery E in France 149th Field Artillery, Rainbow (42nd) Division by Frederic R. Kilner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
