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
The president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, told reporters last week that his country had now identified one million rounds of 155-caliber artillery shells — 200,000 more than previously estimated — and that 15 nations had joined the campaign to finance their purchase.
—Marc Santora, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Our fact-check sources: The Times of Israel, April 29, 2022, Panic at the airport as US family tries to board plane with souvenir artillery shell
Flash 90, April 14, 2022, BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Thank you for supporting our journalism.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
While these two political lightweights dither, people are dying, as Ukrainian soldiers run out of artillery shells and Russia bombs civilian homes and infrastructure in large Ukrainian cities that lack air defenses.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024
Russia is currently firing five artillery shells for every one fired by Ukrainian forces, and that disparity could increase in the coming weeks to 10 to 1, said Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of the European Command.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 12 Apr. 2024
In an interview with German outlet BILD, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine has managed to continue to produce many drones domestically, but other systems, including air defense systems, long-range missiles and other types of artillery, remain in high demand and low supply.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2024
Importantly, the inventory disclosed by Central Command does not include artillery shells, which are among Ukraine’s most dire battlefield needs.
—Alex Horton, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Speed was imperative, because the yard lacked any cover or protection from Russian artillery and F.P.V.s.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Ukrainian officials never tire of telling their backers what’s needed now: Patriot and other air defenses, longer-range missiles, artillery shells by the million, more air power.
—Tim Lister, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Marc Santora, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Our fact-check sources: The Times of Israel, April 29, 2022, Panic at the airport as US family tries to board plane with souvenir artillery shell
Flash 90, April 14, 2022, BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Thank you for supporting our journalism.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
While these two political lightweights dither, people are dying, as Ukrainian soldiers run out of artillery shells and Russia bombs civilian homes and infrastructure in large Ukrainian cities that lack air defenses.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024
Russia is currently firing five artillery shells for every one fired by Ukrainian forces, and that disparity could increase in the coming weeks to 10 to 1, said Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of the European Command.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 12 Apr. 2024
In an interview with German outlet BILD, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine has managed to continue to produce many drones domestically, but other systems, including air defense systems, long-range missiles and other types of artillery, remain in high demand and low supply.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2024
Importantly, the inventory disclosed by Central Command does not include artillery shells, which are among Ukraine’s most dire battlefield needs.
—Alex Horton, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Speed was imperative, because the yard lacked any cover or protection from Russian artillery and F.P.V.s.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Ukrainian officials never tire of telling their backers what’s needed now: Patriot and other air defenses, longer-range missiles, artillery shells by the million, more air power.
—Tim Lister, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'artillery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near artillery
Cite this Entry
“Artillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artillery. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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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