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• cannon
  cannon

  noun

  a mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.
• Cannon
  Cannon

  noun

  Annie Jump 1863–1941, U.S. astronomer.

cannon

¹ American  

[kan-uhn] / ˈkæn ən /

noun

cannons plural

1. a mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.

2. British Machinery. quill.

3. Armor. a cylindrical or semicylindrical piece of plate armor for the upper arm or forearm; a vambrace or rerebrace.

4. Also called canon bit.  Also called cannon bit,.  a round bit for a horse.

5. the part of a bit that is in the horse's mouth.

6. (on a bell) the metal loop by which a bell is hung.

7. Zoology.

   1. cannon bone.

   2. the part of the leg in which the cannon bone is situated.

8. British. a carom in billiards.

9. Underworld Slang. a pickpocket.

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verb (used without object)

1. to discharge cannon.

2. British. to make a carom in billiards.

Cannon ² American  

[kan-uhn] / ˈkæn ən /

noun

1. Annie Jump 1863–1941, U.S. astronomer.

2. Joseph Gurney Uncle Joe, 1836–1926, U.S. politician and legislator.

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cannon British  

/ ˈkænən /

noun

1. an automatic aircraft gun of large calibre

2. history a heavy artillery piece consisting of a metal tube mounted on a carriage

3. a heavy tube or drum, esp one that can rotate freely on the shaft by which it is supported

4. the metal loop at the top of a bell, from which it is suspended

5. See cannon bone

6. billiards

   1. a shot in which the cue ball is caused to contact one object ball after another

   2. Usual US and Canadian word: carom.  the points scored by this

7. a rebound or bouncing back, as of a ball off a wall

8. either of the two parts of a vambrace

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verb

1. to collide (with)

2. short for cannonade

3. (intr) billiards to make a cannon

Cannon Scientific  

/ kăn′ən /

1. American astronomer noted for her work on classifying stellar spectra. Cannon classified the spectra of 225,300 stars brighter than magnitude 8.5, as well as 130,000 fainter stars.

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Etymology

Origin of cannon

First recorded in 1375–1425 (earlier in Anglo-Latin, Anglo-French ); late Middle English canon, from Middle French, from Italian cannone, equivalent to cann(a) “tube” (from Latin ) + -one augmentative suffix; see cane

Explanation

A cannon is a large gun that fires heavy metal shells or other projectiles. Originally it was attached to wheels and pulled by men. More recently, cannon refers to the largest gun on a tank or the automatic guns on a plane. All cannons, however old they are, have basically the same shape — a long, thick tube. Not surprising, then, that the term comes from the Latin word canna, meaning "tube" or "reed." Do not confuse with the word canon, with one n, which is a term of classification, as in its most common usage, "the literary canon."

Example Sentences

The Kenyan Airways plane on which Sawe flew home was given a water cannon salute when it arrived, as dancers and musicians performed.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Militaries have mainly defended against Shaheds by shooting them down with cannon fire, missiles and interceptor drones, with the United States and Israel also developing lasers.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

It was unclear whether Gosling also ordered up the marching band that played backup, but Fallon wound up crediting him for the whole deal, which we assume included the, um, confetti cannon.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Arundel died at the age of 27 after his leg was shattered, in May 1435, by a shot from a primitive cannon, or culverin, at Gerberoy, France.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Sargon settled himself on top of a Napoleonic cannon.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• howitzer
• mortar
• ordnance