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 MitgangExamples of artillery in a Sentence
The troops were being bombarded by artillery.
a captain in the artillery
Recent Examples on the Web
Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing at least 11 civilians, in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbours.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
Thailand said Cambodian artillery fire into civilian areas killed at least 10 people and injured at least 14 others.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
The ensuing battle involved artillery shells, infantry battles, and airstrikes.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2025
While this role has traditionally been filled by artillery, drones are more economical, especially given the resource constraints currently facing Russian forces.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for artillery
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Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
Thailand said Cambodian artillery fire into civilian areas killed at least 10 people and injured at least 14 others.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
The ensuing battle involved artillery shells, infantry battles, and airstrikes.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2025
While this role has traditionally been filled by artillery, drones are more economical, especially given the resource constraints currently facing Russian forces.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for artillery
Cite this Entry
“Artillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artillery. Accessed 7 Aug. 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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