ordnance

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noun ord·nance \ ˈȯrd-nən(t)s \

Definition of ordnance

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.

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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 of ordnance from the Web

In a similar vein, the sculptures of Egyptian native Iman Issa are elegant abstractions that from certain angles resemble military ordnance.

— steven litt, cleveland.com, "MOCA Cleveland shares two years' worth of upcoming exhibitions (photos)," 27 Aug. 2017
In the following days, Japanese sorties rained ordnance on the port.

— peter eisner, Smithsonian, "Without Chick Parsons, General MacArthur May Never Have Made His Famed Return to the Philippines," 22 Aug. 2017
Tannehill Furnace was a major supplier of iron for Confederate ordnance.)

— AL.com, "These Birmingham historical industrial sites will be highlighted in new app," 12 Aug. 2017
From there, the long-range planes have launched days-long flights to drop ordnance on Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

— scott canon, kansascity, "North Korea, ‘fire and fury’ and Guam: Missouri-based B-2 bombers play a key role," 10 Aug. 2017
Their return to their homes could take months as unexploded ordnance is identified and cleared and Iraqi forces shore up security.

— ann m. simmons, latimes.com, "Rebuilding Mosul: The daunting mission to bring the demolished city back from the dead," 19 July 2017
Media outlets were reporting Friday that Shelly Island off the coast of Dare County was evacuated due to a possible unexploded Navy ordnance that was discovered washed ashore Friday morning.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Mysterious new NC island got more mysterious with discovery of possible bomb," 14 July 2017
Giving a warning sign, Wissam Daoud prepares to safely detonate unexploded ordnance in front of a shop in west Mosul.

— jeremiah m. bogert jr., latimes.com, "The long and bloody battle for Mosul," 9 July 2017
The U.S. bombed Laos heavily in an effort to disrupt supply lines during the Vietnam War; decades later, unexploded ordnance is still a problem there.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In 'Afterland,' Mai Der Vang portrays the exodus of Hmong from Laos to U.S.," 23 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of ordnance

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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ordnance Synonyms

Synonyms

guns, artillery

Related Words

ammunition, armament, arms, munitions, weaponry, weapons

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

ORDNANCE Defined for English Language Learners

ordnance

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noun

Definition of ordnance for English Language Learners

: military supplies including weapons, ammunition, armor, vehicles, etc.
: large, heavy guns on wheels

ORDNANCE Defined for Kids

ordnance

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noun ord·nance \ ˈȯrd-nəns \

Definition of ordnance for Students

1 :military supplies (as guns, ammunition, trucks, and tanks)

2 :artillery 1

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ordnance Spanish Central: Translation of ordnance Nglish: Translation of ordnance for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ordnance for Arabic speakers

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ordnance

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Examples of ordnance in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of ordnance

ordnance Synonyms

Synonyms

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ordnance

Definition of ordnance for English Language Learners

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ordnance

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