ordnance

noun

ord·​nance ˈȯrd-nən(t)s 

1

a

: military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment

bombers dropped heavy concentrations of ordnance on every targeted airfield

—Ron Dick

b

: a service of the army charged with the procuring, distributing, and safekeeping of ordnance

2

: cannon, artillery

Several pieces of ordnance bombarded the entrenched enemy.

Synonyms

• guns
• weapons

Examples of ordnance in a Sentence

The company was outfitted with 50-millimeter ordnance.

the army is waiting for the heavy ordnance to be brought in

Recent Examples on the Web

The current working theory among investigators is that the device was part of an unexploded ordnance recovered by law enforcement from a residence Thursday in Santa Monica, another law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN. —Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 18 July 2025

Sources told The Los Angeles Times the blast occurred as the bomb squad was moving explosive ordnance near the facility's parking lot. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025

Meanwhile, at Natanz, a site known for its history with the Stuxnet cyberattack and long a target of Israeli and American scrutiny, two craters believed to have been caused by U.S. ordnance now appear filled and covered with dirt. —Jasmine Baehr , Kyle Schmidbauer, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025

Over the past nine years, more than 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance (UXO) have been reported in 14 Governorates across Syria, with half estimated to have ended in tragic child casualties. —Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ordinaunce, from Anglo-French ordenance disposition, preparation, military provisions — more at ordinance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ordnance

noun

ord·​nance ˈȯrd-nən(t)s 

1

: military supplies

also : the branch of the army that obtains and gives out military supplies

2

: artillery sense 1