magnum
Americannoun
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magnums
plural
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a large wine bottle having a capacity of two ordinary bottles or 1.5 liters (1.6 quarts).
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a magnum cartridge or firearm.
adjective
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(of a cartridge) equipped with a larger charge than other cartridges of the same size.
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(of a firearm) using such a cartridge.
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Informal. unusually great in power or size.
a magnum spotlight; a magnum dosage.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of magnum
1780–90; < Latin, neuter of magnus large; in reference to firearms, originally used as a trademark by the Smith and Wesson Co.
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:
In 1962, Macdonald published his magnum opus of cultural criticism, “Against the American Grain: Essays on the Effects of Mass Culture,” containing the most famous of his essays, “Masscult & Midcult.”
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
Yet long before earning all these accolades, Shakira was a teen girl in Baranquilla, Colombia, waiting in line at her local record store for a copy of Nirvana’s 1991 grunge magnum opus, “Nevermind.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
He was carrying 743 rounds of ammunition and four handguns – two 9mm Browning semi-automatic pistols and two Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolvers.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
After inspecting a gifted magnum of Chinese wine, he stressed that the country "knew how to produce" -- another worry for French producers.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
Bud Gleason purchased a box each of .270 rifle bullets and .357 magnum pistol shells.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
This was the cheapest of all the magnums I purchased—and the wine that inspired my friend’s joyful words.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Bid on one-of-a-kind bottles pulled from the AWW cellar, as well as from verticals donated by wineries and magnums made for a party.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2021
Large groups guzzled magnums of rosé on canopied daybeds, and lines for the bathroom could take half an hour, a nuisance to hotel guests, who sometimes paid four figures a night for a room.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2021
Waiters rang bells before sabering the corks off champagne magnums.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2017
"Make that two triple magnums, waiter," cried Mr. Wilkins, excitedly, interrupting me.
From The Enchanted Typewriter by John Kendrick Bangs
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.
