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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
• cannon
  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, 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)

• cannons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cannoned,
  past participle,  past
• cannoning
  present participle

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cannon
  plural
• cannons
  plural

Participles

• cannoning
  present
• cannoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cannon
  simple
• cannons
  simple
• have cannoned
  perfect
• has cannoned
  perfect
• am cannoning
  progressive
• are cannoning
  progressive
• is cannoning
  progressive
• have been cannoning
  perfect progressive
• has been cannoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• cannoned
  simple
• had cannoned
  perfect
• was cannoning
  progressive
• were cannoning
  progressive
• had been cannoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cannon
  simple
• will have cannoned
  perfect
• will be cannoning
  progressive
• will have been cannoning
  perfect progressive

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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

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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

See Examples For:

cannon Cannon cannons cannoned cannoning

In Paris, police fired a water cannon and teargas after hundreds of protesters, most wearing face masks and some setting off fireworks, confronted them at several locations, AFP reporters saw.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Police clashed with demonstrators in Lyon, used tear gas in Paris and Marseille and water cannon in Rennes, but there was little of the serious trouble that marred previous protests.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The veteran actor is now ready to pass on his deadly laser cannon to another rising star.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

"So we're using the chemical potential as an atomic cannon," explains Zhang.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Nor were they at the baseball field or the basketball court or the tennis courts or the World War I cannon or the playground or the Boy Scout cabin or the picnic area.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

"Adenocarcinoma is the most common kind of what's called non-small cell lung cancer," David Spigel, a medical oncologist specializing in lung cancer research at Nashville's Sarah Cannon Research Institute, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The latter was spotted in Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park last year, in what Benwell said was only the second recorded sighting of the species in Birmingham and the Black Country.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Cannon mentioned these allegedly plagiarized words and phrases included “tears,” “running,” “fire,” “rain,” “sky,” “love,” “invisible,” “caged me,” “flesh and blood” and “it’s time to go.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

I guess they’re hoping to get Judge Aileen Cannon.

From Slate ● May 26, 2026

Cannon was startled awake and jumped on Evan.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

After police officers had used megaphones to call on those gathered to desist from violence, they used water cannons and tear gas to temporarily disperse the crowd.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Years of exposure to salt spray contributed to corrosion of the cannons - which will be treated at Dorothea Restorations in Bristol.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The property has been reported to feature a Portuguese Colonial-style villa with a large party room, along with watchtowers and 12 cannons that give the retreat a decidedly fortresslike appearance.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

I Need,” which turned into clap-along bedlam before confetti cannons showered the crowd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The dust rose up through everything, turning the red uniforms, the cannons, the wagons all a greyish brown.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Dimarco almost scored himself on 18 minutes but his free-kick cannoned back off the crossbar.

From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026

Ibrahima Konate made a complete hash of a pass inside his own half, allowing Ricardo Pepi to race clear for a shot that cannoned back off the post to Driouech, who gleefully slotted home.

From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025

Guehi's header cannoned back off the bar and Mateta was best positioned to nod home unmarked because he was standing by the goalkeeper rather than with a defender.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025

After a quick readjustment, his rushed attempt cannoned off the post and the game was drawn.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2024

And so he stumbled and nearly fell as she gasped and cannoned into Allun, standing still and almost invisible in the dimness.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

However, Hanna Bennison soon reduced City's lead with a wonderful effort from distance, the ball cannoning off of the crossbar and into the net.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024

Croatia should have scored more, with Perisic's shot from a tight angle cannoning back off the crossbar in what proved a vital moment.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2023

He cracked forehands from a sturdy crouch, his swing full and flowing, the ball cannoning down the sidewall to expire in the back corner, repetitious as a gif.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 18, 2016

Cabaye, waiting on the edge of the area, thumped the ball back, his shot cannoning off the crossbar.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 30, 2014

The ladder fell sideways, cannoning into another one that had been set up beside it.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

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Related Words

• howitzer
• mortar
• ordnance

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