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
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
- artillery
- guns
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Part of the Nazi Black Sea Fleet, the 20 ships are thought to be carrying more than 10,000 pieces of explosive ordnance, many of them unexploded, posing a serious risk to passing ships, fishermen and even the water supply. Duncan Madden, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 And the Sumy region in the north was hit with more than 100 pieces of ordnance Thursday night, according to the governor. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 By the middle of the decade, Stoner had begun to apply his experience with aircraft ordnance to firearms. Phil Klay, The New Yorker, 11 June 2022 In separate incidents, five children were killed Friday in northern Afghanistan's Faryab Province while playing with unexploded ordnance. Kathy Gannon And Mohammad Shaob Amin, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2022 On Sunday, roads in Bucha were littered with unexploded ordnance. Byreuters, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2022 That means driving, lots of it: racing around Irpin’s almost deserted streets; looking down intersections and hoping no Russian patrol lurks in firing range; always wondering which road will be hit by the hail of ordnance flying through the sky. Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2022 Parts of the country are also littered with unexploded ordnance dropped in U.S. airstrikes during the Vietnam War, a 2019 report from the Congressional Research Service found. New York Times, 11 Jan. 2022 The explosive ordnance disposal specialist is facing several charges after blast injured four service members. The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Aug. 2022 See More
Duncan Madden, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 And the Sumy region in the north was hit with more than 100 pieces of ordnance Thursday night, according to the governor. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 By the middle of the decade, Stoner had begun to apply his experience with aircraft ordnance to firearms. Phil Klay, The New Yorker, 11 June 2022 In separate incidents, five children were killed Friday in northern Afghanistan's Faryab Province while playing with unexploded ordnance. Kathy Gannon And Mohammad Shaob Amin, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2022 On Sunday, roads in Bucha were littered with unexploded ordnance. Byreuters, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2022 That means driving, lots of it: racing around Irpin’s almost deserted streets; looking down intersections and hoping no Russian patrol lurks in firing range; always wondering which road will be hit by the hail of ordnance flying through the sky. Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2022 Parts of the country are also littered with unexploded ordnance dropped in U.S. airstrikes during the Vietnam War, a 2019 report from the Congressional Research Service found. New York Times, 11 Jan. 2022 The explosive ordnance disposal specialist is facing several charges after blast injured four service members. The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Aug. 2022 See More 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-nəns
1
: military supplies (as guns, ammunition, trucks, and tanks)
2
: artillery sense 1
ordnance
noun
as in guns
large firearms (as cannon or rockets) the army is waiting for the heavy ordnance to be brought in Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- guns
- artillery
- weapons
- munitions
- weaponry
- ammunition
- armament
- arms