artillery

noun

ar·​til·​lery är-ˈti-lə-rē 

-ˈtil-rē

plural artilleries

1

: weapons (such as bows, slings, and catapults) for discharging missiles

2

a

: large bore mounted firearms (such as guns, howitzers, and rockets) : ordnance

especially : such ordnance that is capable of long-range indirect fire at a target too distant to be seen

b

: a branch of an army armed with artillery

3

: a means of impressing, arguing, persuading, or competing

… indicated that the Bureau had not rolled out its heavy artillery for a full-scale investigation.

—Herbert Mitgang

Synonyms of artillery

• guns
• weapons

Examples of artillery in a Sentence

The troops were being bombarded by artillery.

a captain in the artillery

Recent Examples on the Web

Another child said he was forced to carry out artillery strikes and beaten for disobedience. — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

The plant was built during the Second World War, to manufacture propellants for rockets and other artillery. — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Less expensive than three artillery barrages, Colonel Bell said during a June roundtable discussion with reporters. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026

Ukrainian drone defenses, minefields, and artillery effectively repelled the attack, inflicting heavy losses including seven tanks and over 150 casualties. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English artilrie, artillerie "instruments of war, weapons for discharging missiles," borrowed from Anglo-French & continental Middle French artelrie, artillerie, from Old French artillier "to equip, provide with instruments of war" (alteration, probably after art "skill, craft, art entry 1" and its derivatives, of atiller, atillier "to order, adjust, put on pieces of armor") + -rie, -erie -ery; atiller, atillier going back to Vulgar Latin *apticulāre, from Latin aptāre "to put into position, bring to bear, make ready" + Vulgar Latin *-iculāre, as in *appariculāre "to prepare, equip, apparel entry 2" — more at adapt

Note: The expected outcome of *apticulāre would be *ateiller rather than atiller, which would appear to derive from *aptīculāre; the discrepancy has been explained as a result of interference from the semantically similar verb atirier, atirer "to equip, prepare" (see attire entry 1).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing artillery

• artillery pieces
• field artillery
• heavy artillery

Rhymes for artillery

• distillery
• intermaxillary
• pillory
• premaxillary
• submaxillary

Kids Definition

artillery

noun

ar·​til·​lery är-ˈtil-(ə-)rē 

plural artilleries

1

: large firearms (as cannon or rockets)

2

: a branch of an army armed with artillery

artilleryman

-mən

noun