ammonium nitrate

noun

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web In the years since the explosion, there has been legislation creating new regulations for ammonium nitrate. —

Lana Ferguson, Dallas News, 18 Apr. 2023 On August 4th a blast caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate—a chemical used to make fertiliser and bombs—stored improperly in a warehouse in Beirut’s port killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and left 300,000 homeless. —

The Economist, 22 Sep. 2020 Annually, the world produces and stores enormous amounts of ammonium nitrate—more than 20 million tons in 2017. —

National Geographic, 6 Aug. 2020 In the aftermath of the huge blast at a warehouse in the port of Beirut, where 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer which can also used as an explosive, had been left there for years, the authorities promised the results of an investigation within days. —

Guy Davies, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2021 At around 6pm on August 4, a massive explosion, caused by more than 2,750 tons of high density ammonium nitrate, shook Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. —

Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2021 The warehouse contained 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, and documents obtained by The Washington Post show that the highly explosive material was stored next to kerosene, 25 tons of fireworks, and solvents used for stripping paint. —

TheWeek, 31 Aug. 2020 Officials in Lebanon say that more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizer and bombs, exploded after being stored in a port warehouse since 2014, when it was confiscated from a cargo ship. —

Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2020 Reckenbeil planned to focus on Congress's bipartisan push to regulate the purchase of ammonium nitrate -- a chemical commonly used in fertilizer and explosives -- after its use in deadly acts of terrorism, including the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. —

Arkansas Online, 3 June 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ammonium nitrate.' 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

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ammonium nitrate was in 1866

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near ammonium nitrate

ammonium molybdate

ammonium nitrate

ammonium perchlorate

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ammonium nitrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ammonium%20nitrate. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

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