cannon

noun can·non \ ˈka-nən \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Examples: cannon in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What is the difference between cannon and canon?

Definition of cannon

plural cannons or cannon

1 plural usually cannon

a : a large, heavy gun usually mounted on a carriage

b : a heavy-caliber automatic aircraft gun firing explosive shells

c : any device for propelling a substance or object at high speeds

an air cannon

a T-shirt cannon

— see also water cannon

2 or canon : the projecting part of a bell by which it is hung : ear

3 : the part of the leg in which the cannon bone is found

4 sports, informal : a very strong throwing arm

While Hershberger had a quick, accurate arm, Lombardi had a cannon.
—William Nack

a shortstop with a cannon arm

See cannon defined for English-language learners

See cannon defined for kids

Recent Examples of cannon from the Web

When Arvind was declared the winner, two confetti cannons went off on either side of him and showered him for what seemed like 90 minutes.

— krista stevens, Longreads, "How to Ruin the Scripps Spelling Bee in Four Letters: E-S-P-N," 31 May 2018
The 6-foot, 190-pound senior has a cannon for an arm, is a solid gap hitter, is swift on the base paths and in the field, and has an exit velocity of about 100 mph.

— rick o'brien, Philly.com, "Penn Charter's Mike Siani named Gatorade state baseball player of year," 29 May 2018
Decades ago, the bronze eagle on top of the 12-foot statue and one of two Civil War cannons on either side of the cenotaph were stolen.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sheboygan County community remembers its Civil War dead 150 years after it erected memorial," 28 May 2018
The small craft descended to just 30 feet above the wreck and snapped photos of those unique cannons.

— cleve r. wootson jr., courant.com, "A robot submarine found the 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks.' It’s worth billions.," 24 May 2018
Cable’s colossal assortment of hand cannons was much more aggressive than Captain America’s shield.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Dour Resurgence of Cable, Deadpool 2’s Anti-Hero," 23 May 2018
Consensus: Boom-or-bust prospect with elite arm strength — has a bonafide cannon — and plus athleticism.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Chiefs have their franchise QB, but we're still ranking the top signal-callers in this year's NFL Draft | The Kansas City Star," 26 Apr. 2018
Josh Allen has a cannon of an arm, but there are certain aspects of the Wyoming quarterback's game that could be troublesome in the NFL.

— conor orr, SI.com, "NFL Draft 2018: Quarterback Rankings and Analysis," 10 Apr. 2018
The heavily armed, heavily armored twin-engine jet is a favorite of the ground troops, capable of laying down a protective barrage of cannon fire, rockets, missiles, and bombs.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Air Force Will Lose More Than a Third of A-10s If the Planes Don't Get New Wings," 19 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cannon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What is the difference between cannon and canon?

Cannon and canon are occasionally confused by writers, but the two words have independent origins, and do not share a meaning. Cannon is most frequently found used in the sense of "a large gun," and can be traced to the Old Italian word cannone, which means "large tube." Canon, however, comes from the Greek word kanōn, meaning "rule." Although canon has a variety of meanings, it is most often found in the senses of "a rule or law of a church," "an accepted rule," or "a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works." A loose cannon is "a dangerously uncontrollable person or thing." There are no loose canons.

Origin and Etymology of cannon

Middle English canon, from Anglo-French, from Old Italian cannone, literally, large tube, augmentative of canna reed, tube, from Latin, cane, reed — more at cane

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

automatic, carbine, cudgel, muzzle, rapier

cannon

verb

Definition of cannon

cannoned; cannoning; cannons

intransitive verb

: to discharge cannon

transitive verb

: cannonade

See cannon defined for English-language learners

Examples of cannon in a Sentence

The ball cannoned off the goalpost and into the net.

Recent Examples of cannon from the Web

The succession of niggling fouls had caused Watford's first-half domination to fall by the wayside and Luka Milivojevic almost made them pay - the midfielder's free kick cannoning back off the upright with Karnezis beaten.

— SI.com, "Tense Contest Between Watford, Crystal Palace Ends in Stalemate," 21 Apr. 2018
Jesus had the chance to score from the spot in the second half but cannoned his effort off the inside of the post, with the rebound falling to his teammate Bernardo Silva to tap home.

— SI.com, "'I’m Good at Penalties': Goal-Hungry Ederson Volunteers for Man City Spot Kick Duty," 24 Apr. 2018
Umtiti celebrated Barca's second goal at the Camp Nou by pulling at his badge and pointing to it after his shot had cannoned in off the post and then Roma's Kostas Manolas.

— tom allnutt, chicagotribune.com, "Umtiti: grabbing of badge was to show 'love' for Barcelona," 5 Apr. 2018
After firing home Liverpool's opener at 35 minutes with a perfect shot that cannoned in off the base of the crossbar and left goalkeeper Alisson no chance, Salah merely raised his hands to shoulder height as his teammates engulfed him.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Salah among world's best after two brilliant Liverpool goals, classy celebrations," 24 Apr. 2018
Instead of taking the effort on himself, Suarez's quick return pass to his fellow South American on the edge of the area allowed the Argentine to dispatch his effort which cannoned back off the crossbar and allowed Branquiazuis to breath again.

— SI.com, "Barcelona 4-0 Deportivo La Coruna: Sublime Barca See Off Depor & Open Six-Point Lead in La Liga," 17 Dec. 2017
Board President Jim Patterson said village ordinance requires a 8-foot-tall fence in a commercial area, and that the board legally cannon approve a taller fence without approval from the zoning board of appeals.

— alexandra kukulka, chicagotribune.com, "Glenview gives final approval to revised Culver's plan," 7 Sep. 2017
Must-sees on the property include the Royal 22e Régiment Museum, the Governor General of Canada’s official residence and the summer military ceremonies, including the Changing of the Guard and cannon firings.

— Smithsonian, "Learn More About Quebec’s History and Heritage.," 19 May 2017
When: Dates TBA Where: Alpine Village, 833 W. Torrance Blvd., Torrance Tall Ships Festival The annual event features majestic tall ships along with live music, beer tasting, food and cannon battles.

— staff reports, Orange County Register, "2017 list of festivals, fairs and events in Southern California," 3 Jan. 2017