cartridge
Americannoun
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Also called cartouche. a cylindrical case of pasteboard, metal, or the like, for holding a complete charge of powder, and often also the bullet or the shot for a rifle, machine gun, or other small arm.
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a case containing any explosive charge, as for blasting.
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any small container for powder, liquid, or gas, made for ready insertion into some device or mechanism.
an ink cartridge for a pen.
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Also called magazine. Photography. a lightproof metal or plastic container for a roll of film, usually containing both the supply and take-up spools, as well as a pressure plate, for rapid loading without the necessity of threading the film.
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Audio. pickup.
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a flat, compact container enclosing an endless loop of audiotape, operated by inserting into a slot in a player.
noun
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a cylindrical, usually metal casing containing an explosive charge and often a bullet, for a rifle or other small arms
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a case for an explosive, such as a blasting charge
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an electromechanical transducer in the pick-up of a record player, usually either containing a piezoelectric crystal ( crystal cartridge ) or an electromagnet ( magnetic cartridge )
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a container for magnetic tape that is inserted into a tape deck in audio or video systems. It is about four times the size of a cassette
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Also called: cassette. magazine. photog a light-tight film container that enables a camera to be loaded and unloaded in normal light
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computing a removable unit in a printer which contains black or coloured ink
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computing a removable unit in a computer, such as an integrated circuit, containing software
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cartridge
1570–80; earlier cartage, cartrage, alteration of cartouche
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.
"It was an empty cartridge or shell casing," Civil Surgeon Kumar said.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Founded in 2001 as an inkjet cartridge maker, it rebranded as Innovative Beverage Group six years later.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
A cartridge containing small tubes preloaded with different antibiotics is placed directly into the urine sample and inserted into an instrument.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
The couple are seen side by side in period costume, as Anna hands John a cartridge to reload his musket.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
He also ran errands for the ward and in his spare time made me a cigarette lighter out of an empty Austrian rifle cartridge.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
Definitions 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.
