artillery
noun
ar·til·lery
är-ˈti-lə-rē 
-ˈtil-rē
plural artilleries
1
: weapons (such as bows, slings, and catapults) for discharging missiles
2
a
: large bore mounted firearms (such as guns, howitzers, and rockets) : ordnance
especially
: such ordnance that is capable of long-range indirect fire at a target too distant to be seen
b
: a branch of an army armed with artillery
3
: a means of impressing, arguing, persuading, or competing
… indicated that the Bureau had not rolled out its heavy artillery for a full-scale investigation.—
Herbert Mitgang
Herbert Mitgang
Examples of artillery in a Sentence
The troops were being bombarded by artillery.
a captain in the artillery
Recent Examples on the Web
North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong Un, has become a key source of missiles, artillery and personnel for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort against his neighbor—a relationship Washington and Seoul are watching closely.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
In the weeks after Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, Dana, a student in Kyiv, dreamed that an artillery shell shot through her apartment window and landed on the bed.
—Mireille Juchau, The Dial, 4 Feb. 2025
As Congress debated, top Ukrainian officials warned about a dire shortage of artillery shells, saying at one point that Kyiv’s forces were out-shelled 10 to 1.
—Erin Banco, Anastasiia Malenko, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Yet as dusk settles near the 66th’s forward artillery units, the idea seems beset with insurmountable risk.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for artillery 
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
In the weeks after Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, Dana, a student in Kyiv, dreamed that an artillery shell shot through her apartment window and landed on the bed.
—Mireille Juchau, The Dial, 4 Feb. 2025
As Congress debated, top Ukrainian officials warned about a dire shortage of artillery shells, saying at one point that Kyiv’s forces were out-shelled 10 to 1.
—Erin Banco, Anastasiia Malenko, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Yet as dusk settles near the 66th’s forward artillery units, the idea seems beset with insurmountable risk.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for artillery
Dictionary Entries Near artillery
Cite this Entry
“Artillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artillery. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
artillery
noun
ar·til·lery
är-ˈtil-(ə-)rē
plural artilleries
1
: large firearms (as cannon or rockets)
2
: a branch of an army armed with artillery
artilleryman
noun
-mən
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