ammunition
Americannoun
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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
Etymology
Origin of ammunition
1620–30; < Middle French amonitions, amunitions (plural) military supplies ( a- a- 5 + munition < Latin; munition ), or < French la munition, wrongly analyzed as l'amunition
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.
However, M855 ammunition made for the U.S. military is packaged differently and cannot be possessed by or sold to the public.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
Colombia's defence minister said the sound came from ammunition on board blowing up in the flames.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
A network of bilateral agreements with European governments, largely forged during the standoff with the Soviet Union, allows U.S. ammunition, technology and personnel to be positioned at European bases.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
"We want to have vast amounts of ammunition, which we have right now," Trump said during an event in the Oval Office.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
Ford’s Hardware Store on the corner of River and Granville streets ran out of ammunition and shotguns an hour after the store was opened.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
