weapon

1 of 2

noun

weap·​on ˈwe-pən How to pronounce weapon (audio)
1
: something (such as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy
2
: a means of contending against another

weapon

2 of 2

verb

weaponed; weaponing; weapons

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
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Noun
Their bench, which was a weapon down the stretch of the 2023-24 season and a useful group in the playoffs, has been struggling of late. Tony East, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025 Hamas was trying to retrofit unexploded Israeli ordinance from the war for its own weapons stockpiles, according to Tamir Heyman, the head of Israel's leading national security think tank, the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies. Daniel Estrin, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
Simultaneously, Israeli airstrikes destroyed multiple military installations, including fighter jets and weapon caches across Syria. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 23 Jan. 2025 The ghost can't speak, and can only confirm whether a player has guessed the right person, place, or weapon with a knock. WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for weapon

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpen; akin to Old High German wāffan weapon, Old Norse vāpn

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Weapon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weapon. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

weapon

noun
weap·​on
ˈwep-ən
1
: something (as a gun, knife, or club) used to injure, defeat, or destroy
2
: something with which one fights or struggles against another

More from Merriam-Webster on weapon

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