weapon

[ wep-uh n ]

/ ˈwɛp ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR weapon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any instrument or device for use in attack or defense in combat, fighting, or war, as a sword, rifle, or cannon.

anything used against an opponent, adversary, or victim: the deadly weapon of satire.

Zoology. any part or organ serving for attack or defense, as claws, horns, teeth, or stings.

verb (used with object)

to supply or equip with a weapon or weapons: to weapon aircraft with heat-seeking missiles.

Nearby words

Origin of weapon

before 900; Middle English wepen, Old English wǣpen; cognate with German Waffe, Old Norse vāpn, Gothic wēpna (plural)

Related forms

weap·oned, adjectiveweap·on·less, adjectiveout·weap·oned, adjectivesu·per·weap·on, noun

un·weap·oned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for weapon

But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and faced 15 years prison time.
Rapper Bobby Shmurda Arrested at New York’s Notorious Quad Studios|M.L. Nestel|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The $50,000 reward means a weapon was brandished to either the customers or the employees.
Post Office Robbers More Wanted Than ISIS|M.L. Nestel|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Less than eight percent of sentenced federal women prisoners are there for violent crimes or weapon offenses.
The GOP’s Hidden Ban on Prison Abortions|Harold Pollack|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When Robert Haile pulled his own weapon, Brooks continued his stick-up.
Chicago’s Cops Don’t Even Get Investigated for Shooting People in the Back|Justin Glawe|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had raised his weapon as the door flew open, but now his arm fell.
Lord Jim|Joseph Conrad
I could not carry my threat into execution, having no weapon.
Tales of the Wonder Club|M. Y. Halidom (pseud. Dryasdust)
Henricksen tore his glasses from his eyes, and emerging from the tent, groped on the desk for the weapon he had left there.
Under the Chinese Dragon|F. S. Brereton
Loosing his hold upon Esther, he swiftly shifted his weapon to his other hand and brought down a blow on the boy's back.
A Dear Little Girl's Thanksgiving Holidays|Amy E. Blanchard
As the fore-finger goes through the centre ring, and the thumb is at the top, the weapon is almost entirely concealed by the hand.
Ten Thousand Wonderful Things|Edmund Fillingham King

British Dictionary definitions for weapon

weapon

/ (ˈwɛpən) /

noun

an object or instrument used in fighting

anything that serves to outwit or get the better of an opponenthis power of speech was his best weapon

any part of an animal that is used to defend itself, to attack prey, etc, such as claws, teeth, horns, or a sting

a slang word for penis

Derived Formsweaponed, adjectiveweaponless, adjective

Word Origin for weapon

Old English wǣpen; related to Old Norse vápn, Old Frisian wēpen, Old High German wāffan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for weapon

weapon

Old English wæpen "instrument of fighting and defense," from Proto-Germanic *wæpnan (cf. Old Saxon wapan, Old Norse vapn, Danish vaaben, Old Frisian wepin, Middle Dutch wapen, Old High German waffen, German wafen (neuter), waffe (fem.)), from *webno-m, of unknown origin with no cognates outside Germanic.

weapon

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of weapon

Examples from the Web for weapon

weapon

noun

Word Origin for weapon

weapon