WEAPON Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

weapon 1 of 2

noun

Definition of weapon

as in weaponry

something used to defend Concealed weapons were not allowed in the building.

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as in tool

a person or thing that is used to produce a result Poetry was her weapon of choice in the writing contest.

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weapon

2 of 2

verb

as in to arm

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of weapon

Noun

In the final weeks of the Second World War, a team of Germany’s most gifted scientists threw itself into a last-ditch effort to make an atomic weapon. — Mike McRae 06, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026 Nuñez defended police tactics despite a growing number of severe injuries blamed on officers’ riot-control weapons. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Verb

Disneyland visitors who have always wanted to try the $250 lightsaber building experience in Savi’s Workshop without footing the bill or having to lug the Jedi Knight weapon all over the Anaheim theme park will now get their chance. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 22 May 2026 Potentially, starting as a kickoff/coverage teams weapon — 15 career tackles covering punts. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weapon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for weapon

Noun

Police know how to hit, kick, hogtie, push, asphyxiate, and operate military weaponry.

— Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
This rural Texas police department has, for no reason at all, a battle tank, evidence that surge in money and weaponry in the wake of 9/11 has these cops too excited to finally see some action.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaponry

Noun

There’s the plush seating area for makeup, hair, and comfortable waiting, of course, but there’s also a bathroom replete with outlets for styling tools and with multiple sinks.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
This year's prizes began with the Nobel for medicine, awarded Monday to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of tool

Verb

Ahmed doesn’t merely document the decisions that led President Biden and his aides to arm and rationalize what leading human rights organizations and legal scholars now consider a genocide.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
The militarization of space is as old as the space race itself -- as soon as the USSR's Sputnik was launched into orbit as the first probe in space in 1957, Washington and Moscow began exploring ways to both arm and destroy satellites.

— CBS News, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of arm

Noun

Therapists begin facials with face-scanning wands and other probes, to measure your lipid shield, pigmentation, hydration and elasticity, and then cater their approach to the precise needs of your skin in that moment.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
In Paris, tear gas filled the air, and trash cans, school desks and chairs were set alight as riot police with shields and batons clashed with some demonstrators.

— Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of shield

Noun

Secondly, the breakfast sandwich blended the savoriness, spiciness, and cheesiness of its ingredients perfectly.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Monster Energy said in a statement that caffeine and other drink ingredients are found in a broad range of food products.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of ingredient

Verb

If a degree needs to equip students for life outside of college, then a big part of that is understanding what employers are looking for.

— Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Some of the amenities include a yoga room with classes available to guests throughout the week (except Sundays), a 24-hour gym, and a spa equipped with a sauna, cold plunge, and hydrothermal circuit.

— Nikkita Nair, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of equip

Noun

Unlike a conventional setup, the instrument could vary both the strength and direction of the magnetic field—important because UTe₂ is anisotropic, meaning its properties depend strongly on direction.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
That makes Mary Schiavo, who is a former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, think the plane may have lost its navigational instruments just as a storm moved across its path on radar.

— John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of instrument

Browse Nearby Words

weanlings

weapon

weaponed

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Weapon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weapon. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of weapon

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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