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

b

: a service of the army charged with the procuring, distributing, and safekeeping of ordnance

2

: cannon, artillery

Several pieces of ordnance bombarded the entrenched enemy.

Synonyms of ordnance

• guns
• weapons

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

Seven weeks of American bombing of the Houthis in 2025 – which burned through $1 billion worth of ordnance – failed to lessen the Houthis’ ideological determination or their territorial grip. — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026

During the summer, the sheriff’s bomb squad and the naval explosive ordnance disposal unit also responded to the beach to pick up a much more hazardous item, a Super Bazooka round. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Explosive ordnance disposal teams were sent to inspect the vehicles, while authorities evacuated 85 homes in nearby Whelford as a precaution. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Just imagine the sense of peace that visitors, tourists, and schoolchildren would feel standing atop an ammo dump full of ordnance. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ordinaunce, from Anglo-French ordenance disposition, preparation, military provisions — more at ordinance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids 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

2

: artillery sense 1