cannon
noun
can·non
| \ ˈka-nən
\
\
plural cannons
or cannon
Definition of cannon
(Entry 1 of 3)
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
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
verb
cannoned;
cannoning;
cannons
Definition of cannon (Entry 2 of 3)
: to discharge cannon
Cannon
biographical name
Can·non
| \ ˈka-nən
\
\
Definition of Cannon (Entry 3 of 3)
Joseph Gurney 1836–1926 Uncle Joe American politician
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of cannon in a Sentence
Verb
The ball cannoned off the goalpost and into the net.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The marks left on buildings by cannons from Napoleon’s army. — Los Angeles Times, "Spain’s ‘Game of Thrones’ sites drew them. Barcelona and towns beyond bewitched them," 24 Aug. 2019 Is this really all just an excuse to create a giant salmon cannon for fun and profit? — Aja Romano, Vox, "These unanswered questions are fueling speculation about the sex offender’s life and death.," 11 Aug. 2019 Have your ashes shot out of a cannon like Hunter S. Thompson? Pour the ashes in the ocean. — Mike Oliver | [email protected], al, "My Vinyl Countdown preparing or the last post -- I need another 30 months," 10 Aug. 2019 Here, volcanoes are comparable to simple smoke cannon toys, which eject fog through a narrow circular opening. — Ben Simons, National Geographic, "Volcanoes blow smoke rings. Now we know how they do it.," 7 Aug. 2019 That reasoned xenophobia was reinforced by British colonialists, who turned their muskets and cannons on the islanders, stole their land, then stood back as pestilence carried off most of the population. — Alex Perry, Outside Online, "The Last Days of John Allen Chau," 24 July 2019 Of course, the concert ends with the grandest finale of them all: a spectacular fireworks show over the nation's most iconic monuments, complete with live cannon fire. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "The 2019 'A Capitol Fourth' Concert Includes Some of America's Best Performers," 3 July 2019 Researchers recently found medieval cannonballs from culverins, an early form of cannon, that were most likely used by Vlad the Impaler, during his bloody battle in 1461 with the Ottoman Turks. — Fox News, "Remains of 19th-century ‘vampire' found," 5 Aug. 2019 On Monday and Friday, the splashpark is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kids will love the interactive water features including rotating spray cannons, a water buggy, tipping water buckets and geysers. — Jennifer Boehm, sun-sentinel.com, "Beat the heat: South Florida’s best water parks, pools, splash parks," 23 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
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, "Steve Smith's concussion raises troubling memories for Australian cricket," 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, "UEFA European Under-21 Championship Roundup: Croatia Slump Against Romania & England Lose Late On," 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, "Russia accused of testing a 'killer satellite' in orbit," 16 Aug. 2018 His third and final goal had more than a slice of luck to it, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek's effort from outside of the box cannoned into the back of his right foot and looped into the net. — SI.com, "Fans Vote England's Harry Kane as Man of the Moment After Treble in Spectacular Win Over Panama," 25 June 2018 Chances were starting to dry up, but an Eriksen free kick found Jan Vertonghen - who's header cannoned off the post - and Kane couldn't sort his feet out quick enough to tuck into the empty net. — SI.com, "Tottenham Boosts Top-Four Standing, Beats Watford on Kane, Alli Goals," 30 Apr. 2018 In stoppage time Mateus Uribe fired a stinging shot from long range and Pickford leaped to keep it out with one outstretched hand, sending it wide of the goal and cannoning into the advertising boards. — James Ellingworth, The Seattle Times, "Pickford the hero as England’s penalty curse ends," 3 July 2018 Hakan Calhanoglu also came close to stealing the lead for Milan, blasting one from several yards out following a breakaway, but his shot unluckily cannoned off the crossbar. — SI.com, "Juventus 3-1 Milan: Cuadrado & Khedira Break Rossoneri Hearts With Late Stunners at the Allianz," 31 Mar. 2018 The succession of niggling fouls had caused Watford's first-half domination to fall by the wayside and Luka Milivojevic almost made them pay - the midfielder's free kick cannoning back off the upright with Karnezis beaten. — SI.com, "Tense Contest Between Watford, Crystal Palace Ends in Stalemate," 21 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cannon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for cannon
cannon
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cannon
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a large gun that shoots heavy metal or stone balls and that was once a common military weapon
: a large automatic gun that is shot from an aircraft
cannon
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cannon (Entry 2 of 2)
British
: to suddenly and forcefully hit or move into or against someone or something
See the full definition for cannon in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cannon
noun
can·non
| \ ˈka-nən
\
\
plural cannons
or cannon