ordnance
noun
ord·nance
ˈȯrd-nən(t)s 
1
a
: military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment
bombers dropped heavy concentrations of ordnance on every targeted airfield—
Ron Dick
Ron Dick
b
: a service of the army charged with the procuring, distributing, and safekeeping of ordnance
Examples of ordnance in a Sentence
The company was outfitted with 50-millimeter ordnance.
the army is waiting for the heavy ordnance to be brought in
Recent Examples on the Web
Among other issues, the board cited inadequate inventory of unexploded ordnance and insufficient inventory of ancient burials and associated artifacts.
—Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025
While Trump drops posts like ordnance from a fighter jet, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has been embracing a different form of posting as politics.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Designed to penetrate modern air defenses and carry massive ordnance, the B-21 features open-architecture systems that allow for rapid upgrades as technologies evolve.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
The State Department also temporarily suspended global mine-clearing programs, including groups in Vietnam that have worked to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind from the war.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordnance
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Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025
While Trump drops posts like ordnance from a fighter jet, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has been embracing a different form of posting as politics.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Designed to penetrate modern air defenses and carry massive ordnance, the B-21 features open-architecture systems that allow for rapid upgrades as technologies evolve.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
The State Department also temporarily suspended global mine-clearing programs, including groups in Vietnam that have worked to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind from the war.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordnance
Cite this Entry
“Ordnance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordnance. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ordnance
noun
ord·nance
ˈȯrd-nən(t)s
1
: military supplies
also
: the branch of the army that obtains and gives out military supplies
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