noun
ordnance
AWD-nuhns
noun
1
Military weapons, ammunition, and related equipment, especially heavy artillery.
"The base stores its ordnance in a secure, reinforced bunker."
"Unexploded ordnance from the war still turns up in the fields."
How to Use Ordnance
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMilitary weapons and ammunition, particularly heavy guns and explosives.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "ordinance," a law or regulation passed by a local authority — the two words split from the same origin but now mean very different things.
Easily confused with
ordinance
Common pairings
unexploded ordnance
heavy ordnance
Word Forms
ordnances plural
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The base stores its _____ in a secure, reinforced bunker.
Etymology
A shortened form of "ordinance," which originally meant military equipment or provisions before narrowing to mean weapons and artillery specifically.