weapon

noun

weap·on | \ ˈwe-pən

Definition of weapon

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something (such as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy

2 : a means of contending against another

weapon

verb

weaponed; weaponing; weapons

Definition of weapon (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: arm

Examples of weapon in a Sentence

Noun

assault with a deadly weapon The pitcher's slider is his most effective weapon. a new weapon in the fight against cancer The mayor's campaign unleashed its secret weapon.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Expect a much more light-hearted experience than its predecessor, with lots of over-the-top weapons and scenarios. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "The 40 games we can’t wait to play in 2019," 26 Dec. 2018 That should be enough to counter jamming and get navigation signals to the weapons and vehicles that need it. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "USAF's Next-Gen GPS Satellites Will Be a Huge Upgrade...Eventually," 26 Dec. 2018 Last May, Trump also expressed a desire to sell $110 billion worth of weapons and armory to the Saudis. — Stavros Agorakis, Vox, "Vox Sentences: The world is a very dangerous place!," 21 Nov. 2018 Redux completely rebuilt the game in the sequel’s engine and tweaked the AI, weapons, and more. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Atmospheric shooter Metro 2033 is free on Steam to get you ready for Metro: Exodus's launch," 25 Oct. 2018 The appeals-court ruled that TSA officers search for weapons and explosives in an administrative way, rather than like a criminal investigation that would lead to arrests. — Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, "Court: TSA officers immune from most checkpoint lawsuits," 11 July 2018 The idea is to remove all the North’s nuclear weapons and its ability to build more, before offering any significant rewards. — New York Times, "North Korea Criticizes ‘Gangster-Like’ U.S. Attitude After Talks With Mike Pompeo," 7 July 2018 Supportive Taylor Swift fans have been taking a stand against Blackburn with their weapon of choice: snake emojis. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Taylor Swift Fans Are Flooding Tennessee Senate Candidate Marsha Blackburn's Instagram With Snake Emojis," 9 Oct. 2018 Gottman says that this action—silly or otherwise—prevents negativity from escalating out of control and is a secret weapon of emotionally intelligent couples. — Anne Roderique-jones, SELF, "I Tested ‘Love Languages’ and 3 Other Relationship Books on My Marriage," 7 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Each crime fit the same modus operandi including the suspect’s build and weapon description, the report said. — John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston police arrest suspect in 24 armed robberies," 6 July 2018

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

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Statistics for weapon

Last Updated

7 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for weapon

The first known use of weapon was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for weapon

weapon

noun

English Language Learners Definition of weapon

: something (such as a gun, knife, club, or bomb) that is used for fighting or attacking someone or for defending yourself when someone is attacking you

: something (such as a skill, idea, or tool) that is used to win a contest or achieve something

See the full definition for weapon in the English Language Learners Dictionary

weapon

noun

weap·on | \ ˈwe-pən