ordnance

[awrd-nuhns]

noun

1. cannon or artillery.

2. military weapons with their equipment, ammunition, etc.

3. the branch of an army that procures, stores, and issues, weapons, munitions, and combat vehicles and maintains arsenals for their development and testing.

ordnance

/ ˈɔːdnəns /

noun

1. cannon or artillery

2. military supplies; munitions

3. a department of an army or government dealing with military supplies

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordnance¹

First recorded in 1620–30; syncopated variant of ordinance

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordnance¹

C14: variant of _ordinance

Example Sentences

Teams are also working on clearing out debris and unexploded ordnance, the officials said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It faces challenges including unexploded Israeli ordnance and a lack of equipment such as excavators, bulldozers and heavy trucks, according to the Arab mediators.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Iran itself was pounded by Israeli and American ordnance, which it proved unable to divert.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Complicating the clean-up efforts are the vast quantities of unexploded ordnance littering the entire country, including within mountains of rubble that need to be cleared, he said.

Read more on Barron's

The Marine Corps said no ordnance would be fired from a Navy ship to the shore.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• munitions