artillery
Americannoun
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mounted projectile-firing guns or missile launchers, mobile or stationary, light or heavy, as distinguished from small arms.
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the troops or the branch of an army concerned with the use and service of such weapons.
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the science that treats of the use of such weapons.
noun
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guns, cannon, howitzers, mortars, etc, of calibre greater than 20 mm
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troops or military units specializing in using such guns
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the science dealing with the use of guns
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devices for discharging heavy missiles, such as catapults or slings
Etymology
Origin of artillery
1350–1400; Middle English artil ( le ) rie, artelry, art ( u ) ry armaments, ballistic engines < Anglo-French, Middle French artillerie, equivalent to Old French artill ( ier ) to equip, arm, alteration, by association with art art 1, of atill ( i ) er to set in order, put on armor (< Vulgar Latin *apticulāre, derivative of Latin aptāre to put on (armor, ornaments, etc.; see adapt); -i- for expected -ei- perhaps by association with atirier; see attire) + -erie -ery
Explanation
Artillery refers to large-caliber guns — guns with big barrels — which can be moved from one place to another for land battles. The artillery is also the name for the army unit that uses these big guns. If you're a military commander and you say, "Bring in the heavy artillery," you're ordering the artillery to move into place and get ready for action. But if you're talking to fellow members of your debate team and you say, “Bring in the heavy artillery,” you mean "bring in our best debaters, our heaviest hitters." Artillery can refer to one weapon or 100 — the singular and plural are the same.
Vocabulary lists containing artillery
A Long Walk to Water
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The Things They Carried
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World War I
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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.
Chinese authorities have dismissed reports that a suspected China-made artillery shell was found in a commercial shipping container in Papua New Guinea, saying it is a "shell-shaped wine bottle".
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
He trained as an artillery specialist in World War I and in World War II, he supervised the creation of patriotic films, including the “Why We Fight” series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
In that case, is launching that autonomous drone much different from shooting artillery?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
In the same year, Russia had two-and-a-half times more artillery pieces and shells than Ukraine.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
In desperation, the clans decided to break out the heavy artillery.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
