artillery

noun

ar·​til·​lery är-ˈti-lə-rē 

-ˈtil-rē

plural artilleries

1

: weapons (such as bows, slings, and catapults) for discharging missiles

2

a

: large bore mounted firearms (such as guns, howitzers, and rockets) : ordnance

especially : such ordnance that is capable of long-range indirect fire at a target too distant to be seen

b

: a branch of an army armed with artillery

3

: a means of impressing, arguing, persuading, or competing

… indicated that the Bureau had not rolled out its heavy artillery for a full-scale investigation.

—Herbert Mitgang

Synonyms

• guns
• ordnance

Examples of artillery in a Sentence

The troops were being bombarded by artillery.

a captain in the artillery

Recent Examples on the Web

Ukrainian drones and artillery made quick work of the assault group. —David Axe, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Ukrainian forces have responded to Russian efforts to expel them from one part of Russian territory by launching a large number of attacks on another border area, using drones, artillery and troops. —Tim Lister and Maria Kostenko, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025

This was illustrated during an EU summit last week, when the bloc’s foreign affairs chief was unable to get consensus on a 40 billion-euro military aid package to replenish the Ukrainian army’s stockpile of artillery ammunition. —Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025

Russia lost 61 artillery systems, 18 armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), and five tanks on Monday in its war with Kyiv, as well as 1,180 soldiers, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English artilrie, artillerie "instruments of war, weapons for discharging missiles," borrowed from Anglo-French & continental Middle French artelrie, artillerie, from Old French artillier "to equip, provide with instruments of war" (alteration, probably after art "skill, craft, art entry 1" and its derivatives, of atiller, atillier "to order, adjust, put on pieces of armor") + -rie, -erie -ery; atiller, atillier going back to Vulgar Latin *apticulāre, from Latin aptāre "to put into position, bring to bear, make ready" + Vulgar Latin *-iculāre, as in *appariculāre "to prepare, equip, apparel entry 2" — more at adapt

Note: The expected outcome of *apticulāre would be *ateiller rather than atiller, which would appear to derive from *aptīculāre; the discrepancy has been explained as a result of interference from the semantically similar verb atirier, atirer "to equip, prepare" (see attire entry 1).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing artillery

• artillery pieces
• field artillery
• heavy artillery

Rhymes for artillery

• bacillary
• distillery
• intermaxillary
• pillory
• premaxillary
• submaxillary

Kids Definition

artillery

noun

ar·​til·​lery är-ˈtil-(ə-)rē 

plural artilleries

1

: large firearms (as cannon or rockets)

2

: a branch of an army armed with artillery

artilleryman

-mən

noun