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Synonyms

ammunition

American  
[am-yuh-nish-uhn] / ˌæm yəˈnɪʃ ən /

noun

  1. the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.

  2. the means of igniting or exploding such material, as primers, fuzes, and gunpowder.

  3. any material, means, weapons, etc., used in any conflict.

    a crude ammunition of stones.

  4. information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim.

    Give me some ammunition for the debate.

  5. Obsolete. any military supplies.

ammunition British  
/ ˌæmjʊˈnɪʃən /

noun

  1. any projectiles, such as bullets, rockets, etc, that can be discharged from a weapon

  2. bombs, missiles, chemicals, biological agents, nuclear materials, etc, capable of use as weapons

  3. any means of defence or attack, as in an argument

"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 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

The company makes armored vehicles, defense electronics, ammunition and advanced defense systems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Colombia's defence minister said the sound came from ammunition on board blowing up in the flames.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 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

Three men dragged an ammunition cart through the mob of bodies, hissing to waken the sleeping.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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.