WEAPON Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

weapon 1 of 2

noun

Definition of weapon

as in weaponry

something used to defend Concealed weapons were not allowed in the building.

Related Words

Relevance

as in tool

a person or thing that is used to produce a result Poetry was her weapon of choice in the writing contest.

Related Words

weapon

2 of 2

verb

as in to arm

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of weapon

Noun

The congregants did not know that a man police say was driven by hatred had allegedly arrived with weapons and the capacity to cause mass casualties. — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Washington, for example, thinks that occasional attacks will ensure that Tehran can never fully regenerate its military or develop nuclear weapons. — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026

Verb

Disneyland visitors who have always wanted to try the $250 lightsaber building experience in Savi’s Workshop without footing the bill or having to lug the Jedi Knight weapon all over the Anaheim theme park will now get their chance. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 22 May 2026 Potentially, starting as a kickoff/coverage teams weapon — 15 career tackles covering punts. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weapon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for weapon

Noun

This rural Texas police department has, for no reason at all, a battle tank, evidence that surge in money and weaponry in the wake of 9/11 has these cops too excited to finally see some action.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
There’s the integration of artificial intelligence with military weaponry, which is a real thing that’s happening.

— Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaponry

Verb

Ahmed doesn’t merely document the decisions that led President Biden and his aides to arm and rationalize what leading human rights organizations and legal scholars now consider a genocide.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
The militarization of space is as old as the space race itself -- as soon as the USSR's Sputnik was launched into orbit as the first probe in space in 1957, Washington and Moscow began exploring ways to both arm and destroy satellites.

— CBS News, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of arm

Noun

What many people enjoying these beaches don't realize is that this iconic stretch of sand is also a critical line of defense—a massive engineering shield protecting our vital infrastructure.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
This celestial shield keeps harmful solar wind, cosmic rays and radiation at bay, preventing the atmosphere from being stripped away.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of shield

Noun

Eisenberg streamlines the ingredients and steps, taking the will-it-or-won’t-it-scale guesswork out of baking recipes.

— Candy Hom, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Chicken Mayonnaise, one of the South’s favorite ingredients, is the secret to ultra-tender chicken breasts in this easy-to-make recipe that only takes 15 minutes of active prep time, plus a 30-minute spin in the oven.

— Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of ingredient

Verb

Eco effort Already the resort is single-use plastic free, and sliding glass doors are equipped with sensors that click off the AC when open.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Give them the economics, the reasoning beneath the numbers, and partner with organizations like Economics Arkansas, which has equipped our teachers to do exactly that since 1962.

— Michael Poore Special to the Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of equip

Noun

After trying out several basses in the showroom, Hsu, who specializes in Latin jazz, selects a top-of-the-line $39,000 instrument.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Dance movies marvelously translate primal emotions into motion, the human body becoming a supple instrument deftly communicating the pain, ecstasy and confusion of being alive.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of instrument

Browse Nearby Words

weanlings

weapon

weaponed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Weapon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weapon. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of weapon

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tittle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes