ordnance

noun

ord·​nance ˈȯrd-nən(t)s 

1

a

: military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment

bombers dropped heavy concentrations of ordnance on every targeted airfield

—Ron Dick

b

: a service of the army charged with the procuring, distributing, and safekeeping of ordnance

2

: cannon, artillery

Several pieces of ordnance bombarded the entrenched enemy.

Synonyms

• guns
• weapons

Examples of ordnance in a Sentence

The company was outfitted with 50-millimeter ordnance.

the army is waiting for the heavy ordnance to be brought in

Recent Examples on the Web

Among other issues, the board cited inadequate inventory of unexploded ordnance and insufficient inventory of ancient burials and associated artifacts. —Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025

While Trump drops posts like ordnance from a fighter jet, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has been embracing a different form of posting as politics. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025

Designed to penetrate modern air defenses and carry massive ordnance, the B-21 features open-architecture systems that allow for rapid upgrades as technologies evolve. —Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

The State Department also temporarily suspended global mine-clearing programs, including groups in Vietnam that have worked to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind from the war. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ordinaunce, from Anglo-French ordenance disposition, preparation, military provisions — more at ordinance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ordnance

noun

ord·​nance ˈȯrd-nən(t)s 

1

: military supplies

also : the branch of the army that obtains and gives out military supplies

2

: artillery sense 1