weapon

American  

[wep-uhn] / ˈwɛp ən /

noun

weapons plural

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

2. anything used against an opponent, adversary, or victim.

   the deadly weapon of satire.

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

---

verb (used with object)

1. to supply or equip with a weapon or weapons.

   to weapon aircraft with heat-seeking missiles.

weapon British  

/ ˈwɛpən /

noun

1. an object or instrument used in fighting

2. anything that serves to outwit or get the better of an opponent

   his power of speech was his best weapon

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

4. a slang word for penis

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superweapon
  noun
• outweaponed
  adjective
• unweaponed
  adjective
• weaponed
  adjective
• weaponless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• weapons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of weapon

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

Explanation

A weapon is something used to hurt someone. Soldiers use weapons like guns and even sometimes use "weapons of mass destruction" — like bombs. In school, the only weapon you should use is a spitball. A solider engaging in battle needs a weapon, as does a police officer defending herself against a violent attacker. Some weapons are specially designed for killing or injuring, such as guns and crossbows, while in other cases an ordinary object, like a stick, can be used as a weapon. The Old English root is wæpen, "instrument of fighting or defense." The spelling is tricky, and most people just have to memorize the ea in weapon.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weapon weapons

To friend and filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the work appears as both a weapon, “armor for one’s interior world,” and a prayer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Last year, most US intelligence agencies and departments surmised that it was "very unlikely" that a foreign actor used "a novel weapon or prototype device to harm" US personnel and their families.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

ICE officials said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, was shot after he allegedly used his vehicle as a weapon during an enforcement operation.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

The content law is a major weapon in the EU's bolstered armoury adopted in recent years to curb what Brussels describes as Big Tech's excesses.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

"And, of course, a god can be slain by another god, or by a weapon like Kasusu. It was forged for that very reason."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Tony Barzar, who has been with the company for four decades, is one of its secret weapons: highly skilled at customer service and a mentor to new employees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

What makes this behavior so intriguing is that the crystals were not used as tools, weapons, or jewelry.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

His published work centres on North Korea, a close friend of China and long sanctioned for its nuclear weapons programme and underground tests.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

He urged them to end the supply of weapons to Israel and to allow patients to come to the United States for treatment.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

Soviet air defense had improved its weapons, but the American pilot would have to fly near enough to a missile base to give them a decent shot.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• cannon
• firearm
• gun
• knife
• machete
• machine gun
• missile
• nerve gas
• pistol
• revolver
• rifle
• shotgun
• sword
• tear gas