war surplus

American  

noun

1. equipment, supplies, etc., originally used by or manufactured for the armed forces, but disposed of cheaply as surplus or obsolete.

   He made his fortune in war surplus.

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Etymology

Origin of war surplus

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

By the end of the decade, Cummings was annually importing hundreds of thousands of war surplus weapons, Mausers and Carcanos chief among them, for sale on the U.S. consumer market.

From Slate • Nov. 22, 2023

In the autumn of 1949, Bridoux was in Washington to take possession of a war surplus P-38 Lightning destined for the Bolivian air force.

From Washington Post • Aug. 21, 2021

She started working as a secretary in a war surplus company in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2019

Cleveland never received any war surplus but has bought one armored vehicle and personal protective equipment for officers, a police spokeswoman said.

From Reuters • Jul. 12, 2016

He searched for a weight and found his emergency fishing kit, a war surplus item which he carried in case he might someday find himself at a good fishing spot without tackle.

From The Golden Skull by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)