gunnery

noun

gun·​nery ˈgə-nə-rē How to pronounce gunnery (audio)
ˈgən-rē
: the use of guns
especially : the science of the flight of projectiles and of the effective use of guns

Examples of gunnery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There, Tenison recalled how excitement built as the division’s crews prepared for gunnery: live-fire exercises that tank crews complete at the end of their training. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 As luck would have it, Fort Moore’s tankers were going through their own gunnery exercises at the end of the year. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 Morgan’s story in the military includes service as a naval gunnery officer aboard the battleship USS South Dakota at the close of WWII and aboard the Navy cruiser USS Saint Paul during the Korean War. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2023 In 1996, a U.S. Navy A-6E Intruder bomber towing an aerial gunnery target was shot down by a Phalanx short-range air-defense system. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 6 June 2023 The Bellows Air Force Station was established in 1917 for aerial gunnery, strafing and bombing practice as one of many areas of Hawaii used by the military for practice. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 2 May 2023 As sophisticated as men-of-war were with their sail propulsion and lethal gunnery, they were largely made from simple, perishable materials: hemp, canvas, and, most of all, timber. David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023 In a film rather weighed down with tragic let's-kill-Felix purpose, Bond went to Cuba to meet Paloma (Ana de Armas), a cheerful rookie with a zest for glam gunnery. Darren Franich, EW.com, 23 Nov. 2022 Typically, there will be a display tent with armor that onlookers can try on, a fiber arts display tent with medieval children’s clothing, a gunnery display tent, and a kitchen tent, in addition to the tents the performers sleep in, Caton said. Bailey Allen, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gunnery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunnery was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near gunnery

Cite this Entry

“Gunnery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunnery. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gunnery

noun
gun·​nery ˈgən-(ə-)rē How to pronounce gunnery (audio)
: the use of guns

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