ammonium nitrate

noun

: a colorless crystalline salt NH₄NO₃ used in explosives and fertilizers and in veterinary medicine

Examples of ammonium nitrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fires ignited two trailers containing thousands of pounds of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, causing two explosions. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026

Authorities also recovered explosive materials and components to include thermite, ammonium nitrate, magnesium ribbon, metal pipes, and gasoline. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026

The pope said prayers at the site of the blast, which ripped through Beirut's downtown district five years ago after a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate exploded — a devastating event attributed to negligence and government dysfunction. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 2 Dec. 2025

Another disaster followed in 2020, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate improperly stored at the Beirut port detonated in an explosion that blasted through the surrounding neighborhoods, killing 218 people, wounding thousands more and causing billions of dollars in damage. —CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ammonium nitrate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Kids Definition

ammonium nitrate

noun

: a colorless crystalline salt used in explosives and fertilizers

Medical Definition

ammonium nitrate

noun

: a colorless crystalline salt NH₄NO₃ used in explosives and fertilizers and in veterinary medicine as an expectorant and urinary acidifier