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
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.
And although all of Lebanon’s political parties benefited from the port of Beirut’s poor governance and accountability structures, which allowed corruption to flourish, some suspected that Hezbollah was involved in storing over 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate there, which led to the 2021 explosion. Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for ammonium nitrate 

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ammonium nitrate was in 1866

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 22 Dec. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!