artillery

noun

ar·​til·​lery är-ˈti-lə-rē How to pronounce artillery (audio)
-ˈtil-rē
plural artilleries
Synonyms of artillerynext
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

Examples of artillery in a Sentence

The troops were being bombarded by artillery. a captain in the artillery
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Some parts of Route 65 looked more like an artillery range, with rim-bending, tire-tearing, and suspension-slaughtering potholes blossoming from the black top. Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026 Kim in recent months has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, as the leaders align i n the face of their separate confrontations with Washington. ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026 Reports revealed that the weapon was showcased with Supercam S350 drone designed for target reconnaissance and target designation and the Planshet-A artillery fire control automation package. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026 Fishing nets are stronger than the tulip nets, Pot said, and so are used more often to protect tanks and artillery. Tim Lister, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for artillery

Word History

Etymology

Middle English artilrie, artillerie "instruments of war, weapons for discharging missiles," borrowed from Anglo-French & continental Middle French artelrie, artillerie, from Old French artillier "to equip, provide with instruments of war" (alteration, probably after art "skill, craft, art entry 1" and its derivatives, of atiller, atillier "to order, adjust, put on pieces of armor") + -rie, -erie -ery; atiller, atillier going back to Vulgar Latin *apticulāre, from Latin aptāre "to put into position, bring to bear, make ready" + Vulgar Latin *-iculāre, as in *appariculāre "to prepare, equip, apparel entry 2" — more at adapt

Note: The expected outcome of *apticulāre would be *ateiller rather than atiller, which would appear to derive from *aptīculāre; the discrepancy has been explained as a result of interference from the semantically similar verb atirier, atirer "to equip, prepare" (see attire entry 1).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of artillery was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Artillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artillery. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

artillery

noun
ar·​til·​lery är-ˈtil-(ə-)rē How to pronounce artillery (audio)
plural artilleries
1
: large firearms (as cannon or rockets)
2
: a branch of an army armed with artillery
artilleryman
-mən
noun

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