ordnance

ord·nance | \ ˈȯrd-nən(t)s

How to pronounce ordnance (audio)

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Definition of ordnance

1a : 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.

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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 But any duds would leave an area littered with unexploded ordnance, something that's happened to London before. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "What Are Airports Going to Do About Drones?," 9 Jan. 2019 Best’s dive bomber dropped the ordnance that reportedly doomed the Japanese carrier Akagi during the Battle of Midway, and he is credited with playing a major role in the sinking of the Hiryu that same day. — Chuck Yarborough, cleveland, "New ‘Midway’ tells the story of the U.S.-Japan battle from the viewpoints of those who fought it," 6 Nov. 2019 Seal Beach’s primary missions are to store ordnance for the Navy and Marine Corps, load and unload ammunition and maintain weapons on warships departing San Diego. — Daniel Langhorne, Daily Pilot, "Navy awards $154 million construction contract to modernize Seal Beach base," 5 Sep. 2019 Both the rebels and the regime violated the terms of the truce, lobbing ordnance and explosive drones at each other. — The Economist, "Syria’s war is drawing to a close. But the pain will go on," 5 Sep. 2019 Some of these responders would include specialists like explosive ordnance disposal experts and combat engineers who can break into fortified areas seized by enemies. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Could Someone Actually Steal a U.S. Nuke?," 25 Oct. 2019 The grenade in the shadow box was inert, but the other was believed to be a live military ordnance. — USA TODAY, "Baby elephant, cougars, dognapper, burning treehouse: News from around our 50 states," 24 Oct. 2019 James Johnston, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, had been killed along with a Green Beret on June 25 in Uruzgan Province in south-central Afghanistan. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "A tribute to war widow’s fallen husband, and a baby shower," 7 Oct. 2019 At least 60 civilians have been killed, along with the two de-miners, by the unexploded ordnance left behind. — New York Times, "Bombing Kills Dozens and Hurts Schoolchildren as Taliban Talks Resume," 1 July 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near ordnance

ordnance officer

ordnance stores

Statistics for ordnance

Last Updated

4 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Ordnance.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordnance. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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