What does "weapon" mean?
An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
Weapon
/ˈwɛp.ən/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
- Grammar: weapon is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: arm, a-weapons, advantage, armament.
- Useful contrasts: ceremonial mace, disadvantage, nonweapon.
- Usage evidence: The fingerprints left on the weapon correspond with the suspect's.
How to use "weapon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "weapon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "weapon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "weapon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "weapon" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "weapon" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "arm" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "weapon", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
"The club that is now mostly used for golf was once a common weapon."
- 2 any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting wordnet
- 3 An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.
"Money is the main weapon of modern oligarchs."
- 4 a means of persuading or arguing wordnet
- 5 A tool of any kind. humorous, informal
"Choose your weapon."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An idiot, an oaf, a fool, a tool; a contemptible or incompetent person. Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang
- 7 A very skilled, competent, or capable person or thing worthy of awe. Australia, slang
"It has a whopping 5.4-litre V8, with a supercharger bolted to the top of it to help low-end pulling power. In short, it's a weapon and will happily dust a Porsche as easy as brushing your teeth."
- 8 The human genitals. rare, slang
"Young motherfucking legend, niggas just pretending I spit my shit, infectious, don't come in my section Or get wet bitch with that weapon Lift the pussy, yeah I bench press it, and I been stressing since a adolescent"
Verb
- 1 To equip with a weapon; to arm. transitive
"[…] the friends of the country and of the equal rights of all men, the friends of enfranchising the black man and of weaponing his hand for defense; the friends of taking the governments of these rebel States out of the hands of their rebel possessors, […]"
Antonyms
Example
"The fingerprints left on the weapon correspond with the suspect's."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "weapon"?
Common synonyms include: arm, a-weapons, advantage, armament, armament, arms.
How do you use "weapon" in a sentence?
The fingerprints left on the weapon correspond with the suspect's.
How do you pronounce "weapon"?
Pronounced /ˈwɛp.ən/.
Etymology
From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpn, from Proto-West Germanic *wāpn, from Proto-Germanic *wēpną (“weapon”), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom. Cognates Cognate with Scots weepon (“weapon”), North Frisian woopen (“weapon”), Saterland Frisian Woapen (“weapon”), West Frisian wapen (“weapon; coat of arms”), Alemannic German Waaffe (“tool”), Dutch wapen (“weapon”), German Waffe (“weapon”) and Wappen (“coat of arms”), Luxembourgish Waff (“weapon”), Yiddish וואָפֿן (vofn, “weapon”), Danish våben (“weapon; coat of arms”), Faroese vákn, vápn (“weapon; whaling lance”), Icelandic vopn (“weapon”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk våpen (“weapon”), Swedish vapen (“weapon; coat of arms”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐍀𐌽 (wēpn, “weapon”).