artillery

noun

ar·​til·​lery är-ˈti-lə-rē How to pronounce artillery (audio)
-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

Examples of artillery in a Sentence

The troops were being bombarded by artillery. a captain in the artillery
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Like North Korea, Iran has sent piles of weapons to Russia to support its war on Ukraine, from drones and artillery shells to short-range missiles, according to American and European officials. Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025 At the tactical level, missile-and-artillery systems remain the most familiar element. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025 Along with manpower, North Korea has also supplied Moscow with ballistic missiles and artillery, among other military equipment. Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025 Russia’s artillery use is significantly higher, ranging from 10,000 rounds to 36,000 rounds per day. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for artillery

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of artillery was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Artillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artillery. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

artillery

noun
ar·​til·​lery är-ˈtil-(ə-)rē How to pronounce artillery (audio)
plural artilleries
1
: large firearms (as cannon or rockets)
2
: a branch of an army armed with artillery
artilleryman
-mən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on artillery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!