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ammonium nitrate
noun
: a colorless crystalline salt NH4NO3 used in explosives and fertilizers and in veterinary medicine
Examples of ammonium nitrate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the Tianjin port, an initial explosion of nitrocellulose led to a much bigger detonation of eight hundred pounds of ammonium nitrate.
—Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024
Inspired by Blood’s curious writings, James followed Humphry Davy’s old protocol, heating a beaker of ammonium nitrate in the Harvard chemistry laboratory, capturing the escaping gas, and inhaling deeply with pen and paper in hand.
—Oshan Jarow, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Monday’s death toll far surpassed that of Beirut’s devastating port explosion in 2020, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated, killing at least 218 people and wounding more than 6,000.
—Bassam Hatoum, Melanie Lidman, TIME, 23 Sep. 2024
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives defines these types of material − such as an oxidizer like ammonium nitrate and a fuel such as aluminum − as legal when separate, but regulated once combined.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1866, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ammonium nitrate
Cite this Entry
“Ammonium nitrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ammonium%20nitrate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
ammonium nitrate
noun
: a colorless crystalline salt used in explosives and fertilizers
Medical Definition
ammonium nitrate
noun
: a colorless crystalline salt NH4NO3 used in explosives and fertilizers and in veterinary medicine as an expectorant and urinary acidifier
More from Merriam-Webster on ammonium nitrate
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ammonium nitrate
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