weapon
[wep-uh n]
- 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.
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- to supply or equip with a weapon or weapons: to weapon aircraft with heat-seeking missiles.
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Origin of weapon
before 900; Middle English wepen, Old English wǣpen; cognate with German Waffe, Old Norse vāpn, Gothic wēpna (plural)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
pistol, bomb, sword, gun, missile, cannon, rifle, machete, ammunition, firearm, knife, shotgun, revolver, catapult, dagger, spear, bayonet, ax, bludgeon, spikeExamples from the Web for weapon
Contemporary Examples
But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.
He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and faced 15 years prison time.
The $50,000 reward means a weapon was brandished to either the customers or the employees.
Less than eight percent of sentenced federal women prisoners are there for violent crimes or weapon offenses.
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 BackJustin Glawe
December 5, 2014
Historical Examples
Robert hurried upstairs, and quickly returned with the weapon.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
Aggie showed no trace of emotion as her glance ran over the weapon.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Now, he again brought out the weapon that had done Eddie Griggs to death.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
He was armed with a stone hammer, which is no sort of weapon for a narrow passage.
The Trail BookMary Austin
weapon
- 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
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for weapon
n.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper