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

The group played a leading role in suppressing the protests and in undermining an investigation of the port blast, which led to speculation that the group had the explosion by stashing an ammonium nitrate shipment at the port, drawing an Israeli strike. —Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2024

Hezbollah had substantial control over the port, and a long list of politicians knew that the ammonium nitrate was stored there. —Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024

The death is one of 27 in the U.S. caused by the faulty inflators, which used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. —CBS News, 29 May 2024

Due to its strategic location, Baltimore serves as a pivotal coastal port for distributing urea ammonium nitrate to key agricultural regions. —Robert Rapier, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

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