cannon

1 of 2

noun

can·​non ˈka-nən How to pronounce cannon (audio)
plural cannons or cannon
1
plural usually cannon
a
: a large, heavy gun usually mounted on a carriage
b
: a heavy-caliber automatic aircraft gun firing explosive shells
c
: any device for propelling a substance or object at high speeds
an air cannon
a T-shirt cannon
see also water cannon
2
or canon : the projecting part of a bell by which it is hung : ear
3
: the part of the leg in which the cannon bone is found
4
sports, informal : a very strong throwing arm
While Hershberger had a quick, accurate arm, Lombardi had a cannon.William Nack
a shortstop with a cannon arm

cannon

2 of 2

verb

cannoned; cannoning; cannons

intransitive verb

: to discharge cannon

Did you know?

What is the difference between cannon and canon?

Cannon and canon are occasionally confused by writers, but the two words have independent origins, and do not share a meaning. Cannon is most frequently found used in the sense of "a large gun," and can be traced to the Old Italian word cannone, which means "large tube." Canon, however, comes from the Greek word kanōn, meaning "rule." Although canon has a variety of meanings, it is most often found in the senses of "a rule or law of a church," "an accepted rule," or "a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works." A loose cannon is "a dangerously uncontrollable person or thing." There are no loose canons.

Examples of cannon in a Sentence

Verb The ball cannoned off the goalpost and into the net.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The inventor, Gus Searcy, was a professional magician who owned a 7-Eleven at age 21, had a world champion frisbee-catching dog, invented a cannon to feed fish from a submarine, and, somehow the least surprising tidbit, wrote a motivational book. Annie Colbert, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024 Soldiers fire a cannon on the battlefield during the first battle, The Philadelphia Campaign 1778, as the Huntington Beach Historical Society hosts, The Revolution, a reenactment of the American Revolution at Huntington Beach Central Park in Huntington Beach on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Heather McRea, Orange County Register, 2 Mar. 2024 As for that cannon of an arm that Scott referenced, Bethancourt ranked tied for fourth in MLB in runners caught stealing above average per Baseball Savant. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 In the basement of Kyiv’s famous Arsenal building, the space was a cannon factory during World War II. Sophia Panych, Allure, 22 Feb. 2024 There was hugging, screaming, cheering and the sound of cannon fire overhead after Rangers reliever Josh Sborz struck out Diamondbacks second baseman Katel Marte to secure the win. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2024 However, it has not been confirmed if the items found were in parts of a wrecked ship or cannons. Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024 As the Chiefs poured on to the field — and red and yellow confetti poured from cannons — the 49ers trudged off it, absorbing their second punch-to-the-gut Super Bowl loss to Kansas City in five years. Billy Witz, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 There were two different color schemes of confetti for the cannons to shoot onto the Levi’s Stadium field at the end of the game. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024
Verb
The last of them came on Saturday, a storybook goal that involved slaloming between three defenders and then cannoning a fierce, rising shot past three more, as well as the goalkeeper. Rory Smith, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023 The cost per shot is cheap, as the ammunition is technically just electricity generated on the spot and not a missile or even cannon round built in a factory and shipped to the battlefield. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 19 Mar. 2020 Jesse Lingard's toe-poke cannoned back out off the post... SI.com, 24 Oct. 2019 Up stepped Van Nistelrooy, but his effort cannoned off the bar. SI.com, 28 Sep. 2019 Stefano Sabelli let rip from range, but his shot cannoned off Ricardo Rodriguez and seemed destined to find its way into the back of the net. SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019 Pavel Florin gets backing from Shane Warne A race to be fit Scans later showed no fracture to Smith's arm but the 92mph bouncer that cannoned into the Australian's neck turned out to have had a more lasting effect. Ben Morse, CNN, 19 Aug. 2019 His attempt cannoned off the post; England took a sigh of relief but there was plenty of work still to do. SI.com, 19 June 2019 Fragments can cannon about above the Earth’s atmosphere for centuries — striking other satellites, and adding their wreckage to the deadly debris fields. Jamie Seidel, Fox News, 16 Aug. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cannon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English canon, from Anglo-French, from Old Italian cannone, literally, large tube, augmentative of canna reed, tube, from Latin, cane, reed — more at cane

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cannon was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near cannon

Cite this Entry

“Cannon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cannon

noun
can·​non
ˈkan-ən
plural cannons or cannon
1
: a large heavy gun usually mounted on wheels
2
: an automatic gun of large caliber on an airplane

Medical Definition

cannon

noun
can·​non ˈkan-ən How to pronounce cannon (audio)
: the part of the leg in which the cannon bone is found

Biographical Definition

Cannon

biographical name

Can·​non ˈka-nən How to pronounce Cannon (audio)
Joseph Gurney 1836–1926 Uncle Joe American politician
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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