howitzer

noun

how·​it·​zer ˈhau̇-ət-sər 

: a short cannon used to fire projectiles at medium muzzle velocities and with relatively high trajectories

Examples of howitzer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Axios helpfully tallied a sampling of the hardware: twenty-eight M1A1 Abrams tanks, twenty-eight M2 Bradley fighting vehicles, four Paladin howitzers, eight CH-47 Chinook helicopters, sixteen AH-64 Apache helicopters, and sixteen UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 14 June 2025

Reinhart’s goal came after Jake Walman gave Edmonton a 4-3 lead with 6:24 left with a howitzer of a one-timer. —The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 13 June 2025

All told, this squadron carried 133 naval guns to complement the army's 130 field cannons, mortars, and howitzers, each barrel stamped with the king's monogram or other symbols of possession. —/ Cbs News, CBS News, 13 June 2025

The news outlet reported that there will be 120 military vehicles in town for the event, including 24 Abrams tanks and howitzer cannons. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dutch houwitser, ultimately from Czech houfnice ballista

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

howitzer

noun

how·​it·​zer ˈhau̇-ət-sər 

: a short cannon capable of firing a shell in a high arc

Etymology

from Dutch houwitser "howitzer," derived from a Czechoslovakian word for "catapult"