cartridge
Americannoun
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cartridges
plural
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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.
See Examples For:
Founded in 2001 as an inkjet cartridge maker, it rebranded as Innovative Beverage Group six years later.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
However, they provided little evidence to support that claim, other than that the shotgun held a spent cartridge in its barrel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 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 device contains a swappable cartridge that needs to be replaced after about three months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
“His name is Beasley. You’ll recognize him right away. He’ll be wearing an ascot, a Sam Brown cartridge belt, and a Bowie knife. I’m making him leave his pearl-handled revolver at home.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Cooper said she did not know how her DNA came to be on the cartridges.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
He noted the amount of paint splatter on Islas was uncommon for the weapon’s marking cartridges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
It was founded in 2001 as Ticketcart, which sold inkjet cartridges.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
With six game cartridges and plastic overlays, the Odyssey setup offered 12 different games when it first retailed for $100—or about $770 in today’s dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Hal was a youngster of nineteen or twenty, with a big Colt’s revolver and a hunting-knife strapped about him on a belt that fairly bristled with cartridges.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
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.
