-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
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
Rights groups and local media revealed that most state officials knew of the presence of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers that had been improperly stored there for years, in the port.
—Fox News, 16 Jan. 2024
German media showed images of authorities retrieving ice packs from a Berlin apartment, which contained ammonium nitrate.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN, 28 Jan. 2024
Northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Hagerstown, Md., were reopening after a tanker truck carrying ammonium nitrate overturned.
—Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 26 June 2023
The company used ammonium nitrate to inflate the air bags in a crash.
—CBS News, 5 May 2023
Inside, flames and burning embers were heating up piles of ammonium nitrate.
—USA Today, 10 Apr. 2023
Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash.
—Tom Krisher, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2023
On August 4th, 2020, 218 were killed and 7,000 injured in an ammonium nitrate explosion at the Port of Beirut.
—Longreads, 11 Aug. 2023
That accidental ignition of a stockpile of ammonium nitrate – the second-largest nonnuclear explosion ever recorded – left more than 200 people dead and 300,000 homeless, and did $15 billion worth of damage.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ammonium nitrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 29 Mar. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share