ammunition
Americannoun
-
ammunitions
plural
-
the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.
-
the means of igniting or exploding such material, as primers, fuzes, and gunpowder.
-
any material, means, weapons, etc., used in any conflict.
a crude ammunition of stones.
-
information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim.
Give me some ammunition for the debate.
-
Obsolete. any military supplies.
noun
-
any projectiles, such as bullets, rockets, etc, that can be discharged from a weapon
-
bombs, missiles, chemicals, biological agents, nuclear materials, etc, capable of use as weapons
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
World War I
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
These tools can help commanders by automatically identifying enemy vehicles from drone feeds or tracking ammunition expenditure to predict resupply needs, Matthaidess said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
And in a lengthy Truth Social post on 3 September, Trump claimed that the US had "virtually unlimited" amounts of ammunition and is "stockpiling and preparing for any contingency that could happen".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
After the Second World War ended, the Allies disposed of tons of ammunition by dumping it into the ocean so it could not fall into the wrong hands.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Bulgaria is investigating the cause of an overnight fire at an ammunition storage site run by a private defence company.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
I remembered the walls made of grain sacks and ammunition boxes, of my father’s fears and paranoias, his scriptures and prophecies.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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
"Companies are making money out of the fact that ammunitions are not interchangeable, that they can dominate their national markets with their munitions."
From Reuters ● Jun. 13, 2023
Advance, my heroes!" counsel they: "You cannot drag your ammunitions, say you; your poor couple of big guns?
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 17 by Thomas Carlyle
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
