ammunition

[am-yuh-nish-uhn]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ammunition¹

1620–30; < Middle French amonitions, amunitions (plural) military supplies ( a- a- ⁵ + munition < Latin; munition ), or < French la munition, wrongly analyzed as l'amunition

Word History and Origins

Origin of ammunition¹

C17: from obsolete French amunition, by mistaken division from earlier la munition; see _munition

Example Sentences

All three firearms had ammunition with them and one of the Skorpions had been used to kill people locally.

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While the door remains open for easing if Singapore’s growth and inflation deteriorate more than expected, the central bank is likely to preserve policy ammunition for now, he added.

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The BOT can fire off more rate cuts, but it is running out of ammunition.

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It is alleged that Mr Saadaoui had smuggled rifles and ammunition into the UK when he was arrested and was waiting for more to be delivered.

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Amid condemnation from the public and human-rights groups, authorities dropped the terror charges and instead charged him with unlawful possession of ammunition.

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Related Words

• ammo 
• armament 
• bomb 
• bullet 
• cartridge 
• chemical 
• explosive 
• gunpowder 
• materiel 
• missile 
• munition 
• napalm 
• rocket 
• shrapnel 
• torpedo