ammo
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ammo
Explanation
Ammo is a shorthand way to say "ammunition," meaning bullets, gunpowder, and other combat supplies. A war movie might include a scene of soldiers running low on ammo. Ammo generally refers to a supply of the actual munitions, or exploding substances and projectiles that are put in guns, cannons, and other weapons. A gun without ammo won't actually shoot. This colloquial form of ammunition was first used around 1917, and both are rooted in the Middle French phrase la munition, "fortification" or "defense."
Vocabulary lists containing ammo
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.
Rheinmetall has been making ammo since before World War I, and presumably its factories produced their fair share of the shells still lurking in Germany’s soil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Horman Brown describes it as potential "ammo" in a relationship.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
“Predator” is prime Reagan-era action propaganda, closely associating male potency with guns and their firepower, daring to counter that gospel by reminding its audience of how soft humans are once the ammo runs out.
From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2025
The ammo was revealed to have a stamp that was an identifying characteristic of the “Rust” bullets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2024
Nick dialed M in his credit box and informed Joe that as soon as he paid up the ninety-six dollars he owed for groceries, he could have the ammo on credit.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
