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

One image featured by the account shows a young man draped in ammunition and cradling a rifle in his hands.

From Washington Post

Scavengers often acquire toxic levels of lead from eating gut piles and dead animals which contain lead ammunition fragments.

From Popular-Science

If the public decides this process wasn’t trustworthy, it will give ammunition to efforts to discredit all vaccines.

From FiveThirtyEight

Vista Outdoor, owner of brands including Bushnell rifle scopes and Federal ammunition, attributes its recent growth largely to the strength of the shooting sports market.

From Ozy

Though the new study is unscientific, it’s likely to give ammunition to transit and housing advocates who’ve argued that the groups are not representative and in need of reform.

From Voice of San Diego

But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.

From The Daily Beast

It was with this ammunition that Australians organized protests at events where Blanc was scheduled to appear.

From The Daily Beast

A burly Belgian, strapped with grenades and ammunition, towered above them.

From The Daily Beast

When Louise and Bibi returned to their home, they found it strewn with ammunition and pockmarked with mortar craters.

From The Daily Beast

When we asked about where the ammunition in the Korengal came from, all that Zalwar Khan ever said was, “They came from Allah.”

From The Daily Beast

Hence, shortage of ammunition and shortage of water, which last was the worse felt to-day.

From Project Gutenberg

Also, some ominous comments on what armies spend and what Governments scrimp:—that is ammunition.

From Project Gutenberg

Every gun-shot fired gives me a pain in my heart and adds to the deadly anxiety I feel about our ammunition.

From Project Gutenberg

The Austrian parlementaire pointed out that it was hopeless to continue the struggle as he had neither provisions nor ammunition.

From Project Gutenberg

I am very sorry that you cannot send the proper howitzers, and still more sorry for the reason, that of ammunition.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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