Weapons

.22
a .22 caliber firearm (pistol or rifle)
 
A-bomb
a nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission (splitting the nuclei of a heavy element like uranium 235 or plutonium 239)
 
ABM
a defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles
 
ack-ack
artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes
 
aflatoxin
a potent carcinogen from the fungus Aspergillus; can be produced and stored for use as a bioweapon
 
air gun
a gun that propels a projectile by compressed air
 
air-to-air missile
a missile designed to be launched from one airplane at another
 
air-to-ground missile
a missile designed to be launched from an airplane at a target on the ground
 
arquebus
an obsolete firearm with a long barrel
 
arrow
a projectile with a straight thin shaft and an arrowhead on one end and stabilizing vanes on the other; intended to be shot from a bow
 
assagai
the slender spear of the Bantu-speaking people of Africa
 
assault gun
any of the automatic rifles or semiautomatic rifles with large magazines designed for military use
 
atomic weapon
a weapon of mass destruction whose explosive power derives from a nuclear reaction
 
autoloader
a firearm that reloads itself
 
automatic firearm
a firearm that reloads itself and keeps firing until the trigger is released
 
automatic
a pistol that will keep firing until the ammunition is gone or the trigger is released
 
automatic
light machine gun
 
Bacillus anthracis
a species of bacillus that causes anthrax in humans and in animals (cattle and swine and sheep and rabbits and mice and guinea pigs); can be used a bioweapon
 
backsword
a sword with only one cutting edge
 
ball
a solid projectile that is shot by a musket
 
ballistic missile
a missile that is guided in the first part of its flight but falls freely as it approaches target
 
banderilla
a decorated dart that is implanted in the neck or shoulders of the bull during a bull fight
 
bayonet
a knife that can be fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
 
BB gun
an air gun in which BBs are propelled by compressed air
 
BB shot
a small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun
 
bioarm
any weapon usable in biological warfare
 
bird shot
small lead shot for shotgun shells
 
blade
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
 
blistering agent
a toxic war gas with sulfide based compounds that raises blisters and attacks the eyes and lungs; there is no known antidote
 
blunderbuss
a short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzle
 
bodkin
a dagger with a slender blade
 
Bofors gun
an automatic double-barreled antiaircraft gun
 
boomerang
a curved piece of wood; when properly thrown will return to thrower
 
botulin
potent bacterial toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that causes botulism; can be used as a bioweapon
 
bow
a weapon for shooting arrows, composed of a curved piece of resilient wood with a taut cord to propel the arrow
 
bow and arrow
a weapon consisting of arrows and the bow to shoot them
 
brass knuckles
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
 
breechloader
a gun that is loaded at the breech
 
Bren gun
a submachine gun operated by gas pressure; used by the British in World War II
 
brilliant pebble
a code name for a small computerized heat-seeking missile that was supposed to intercept and destroy enemy missiles
 
broad arrow
an arrow with a wide barbed head
 
broadsword
a sword with a broad blade and (usually) two cutting edges; used to cut rather than stab
 
Browning automatic rifle
a portable .30 caliber automatic rifle operated by gas pressure and fed by cartridges from a magazine; used by United States troops in World War I and in World War II and in the Korean War
 
Browning machine gun
a belt-fed machine gun capable of firing more than 500 rounds per minute; used by United States troops in World War II and the Korean War
 
bullet
a projectile that is fired from a gun
 
burp gun
a fully automatic pistol; a small submachine gun
 
bursting explosive
a high explosive that is used to damage the target that is under attack
 
butt shaft
a blunt arrow without a barb; an arrow used for target practice
 
cannon
heavy automatic gun fired from an airplane
 
cannon
heavy gun fired from a tank
 
cannon ball
a solid projectile that in former times was fired from a cannon
 
carbine
light automatic rifle
 
cavalry sword
a stout sword with a curved blade and thick back
 
chemical bomb
a bomb laden with chemical agents that are released when the bomb explodes
 
Chemical Mace
(trademark) a liquid that temporarily disables a person; prepared as an aerosol and sprayed in the face, it irritates the eyes and causes dizziness and immobilization
 
chemical weapon
chemical substances that can be delivered using munitions and dispersal devices to cause death or severe harm to people and animals and plants
 
claymore
a large double-edged broadsword; formerly used by Scottish Highlanders
 
clean bomb
an atom bomb leaving little or no radioactive contamination
 
clostridium perfringens
anaerobic Gram-positive rod bacterium that produces epsilon toxin; can be used as a bioweapon
 
CN gas
a tear gas that is weaker than CS gas but lasts longer
 
Colt
a kind of revolver
 
crease
a Malayan dagger with a wavy blade
 
crossbow
a bow fixed transversely on a wooden stock grooved to direct the arrow (quarrel)
 
CS gas
a tear gas that is stronger than CN gas but wears off faster; can be deployed by grenades or cluster bombs; can cause skin burns and fatal pulmonary edema
 
culverin
a medieval musket
 
Cupid's bow
a curved bow with reversed curve ends
 
cutlas
a short heavy curved sword with one edge; formerly used by sailors
 
dagger
a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing
 
dart
a small narrow pointed missile that is thrown or shot
 
derringer
a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel
 
dirk
a relatively long dagger with a straight blade
 
dirty bomb
an atom bomb that leaves considerable radioactive contamination
 
Dragunov
a sniper rifle with a telescopic sight
 
dumdum
a soft-nosed small-arms bullet that expands when it hits a target and causes a gaping wound
 
epee
a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade
 
Excalibur
the legendary sword of King Arthur
 
Exocet
a guided missile developed by the French government for use against ships
 
falchion
a short broad slightly convex medieval sword with a sharp point
 
fencing sword
a sword used in the sport of fencing
 
fire ship
a weapon consisting of a ship carrying explosives that is set adrift to destroy enemy ships
 
firearm
a portable gun
 
firelock
a muzzle loader that had a flintlock type of gunlock
 
flamethrower
a weapon that squirts ignited fuel for several yards
 
foil
a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button
 
forty-five
a .45-caliber pistol
 
fowling piece
a light shotgun used for fowling
 
full metal jacket
a lead bullet that is covered with a jacket of a harder metal (usually copper)
 
fusil
a light flintlock musket
 
GA
the first known nerve agent, synthesized by German chemists in 1936; a highly toxic combustible liquid that is soluble in organic solvents and is used as a nerve gas in chemical warfare
 
Garand rifle
a semiautomatic rifle
 
gas gun
a gun that fires gas shells
 
gat
a gangster's pistol
 
Gatling gun
an early form of machine gun having several barrels that fire in sequence as they are rotated
 
GB
a highly toxic chemical nerve agent that inhibits the activity of cholinesterase
 
GD
a nerve agent easily absorbed into the body; a lethal cholinesterase inhibitor that is highly toxic when inhaled
 
grape
a cluster of small projectiles fired together from a cannon to produce a hail of shot
 
Greek fire
a mixture used by Byzantine Greeks that was often shot at adversaries; catches fire when wetted
 
guided missile
a rocket-propelled missile whose path can be controlled during flight either by radio signals or by internal homing devices
 
gun
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
 
H-bomb
a nuclear weapon that releases atomic energy by union of light (hydrogen) nuclei at high temperatures to form helium
 
halberd
a pike fitted with an ax head
 
handbow
a bow drawn by hand as distinguished from a crossbow
 
handgun
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
 
hatchet
weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians
 
heat-seeking missile
a missile with a guidance system that directs it toward targets emitting infrared radiation (as the emissions of a jet engine)
 
high explosive
a powerful chemical explosive that produces gas at a very high rate
 
horse pistol
a large pistol (usually in a holster) formerly carried by horsemen
 
ICBM
a ballistic missile that is capable of traveling from one continent to another
 
javelin
a spear thrown as a weapon or in competitive field events
 
Kalashnikov
a type of submachine gun made in Russia
 
khukuri
a curved steel knife with a razor-sharp edge used in combat by the Gurkhas; has cultural and religious significance in Nepal
 
kiley
an Australian boomerang; one side flat and the other convex
 
kirpan
a ceremonial four-inch curved dagger that Sikh men and women are obliged to wear at all times
 
knife
a weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point
 
lachrymator
a gas that makes the eyes fill with tears but does not damage them; used in dispersing crowds
 
lance
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
 
light arm
a rifle or pistol
 
light machine gun
a submachine gun not greater than .30 millimeter
 
longbow
a powerful wooden bow drawn by hand; usually 5-6 feet long; used in medieval England
 
Luger
a German semiautomatic pistol
 
machete
a large heavy knife used in Central and South America as a weapon or for cutting vegetation
 
machine gun
a rapidly firing automatic gun (often mounted)
 
MANPAD
a man-portable surface-to-air missile
 
matchlock
an early style of musket; a slow-burning wick would be lowered into a hole in the breech to ignite the charge
 
Mauser
trademark for a repeating rifle or pistol
 
Maxim gun
an obsolete water-cooled machine gun having a single barrel
 
megaton bomb
a nuclear weapon with an explosive power equivalent to one million tons of TNT
 
minute gun
(military) gun that is discharged once every minute (usually as part of a military funeral)
 
Minuteman
a strategic weapon system using a guided missile of intercontinental range; missiles are equipped with nuclear warheads and dispersed in hardened silos
 
missile
a rocket carrying a warhead of conventional or nuclear explosives; may be ballistic or directed by remote control
 
missile
a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled
 
musket
a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel; formerly used by infantrymen
 
muzzle loader
an obsolete firearm that was loaded through the muzzle
 
nerve agent
a toxic gas that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin and has harmful effects on the nervous and respiratory system
 
neutron bomb
atom bomb that produces lethal neutrons with less blast
 
nitrochloromethane
gaseous form of chloropicrin used as tear gas
 
organophosphate nerve agent
any of a series of nerve agents containing organophosphate compounds first synthesized by German chemists in 1936; in World War II the Germans tested them in concentration camps but not on the battlefield; Iraq is alleged to have used them against Iran and against the Kurds
 
paintball gun
an air gun used in the game of paintball; designed to simulate a semiautomatic
 
partisan
a pike with a long tapering double-edged blade with lateral projections; 16th and 17th centuries
 
peacekeeper
the pistol of a law officer in the old West
 
pellet
a solid missile discharged from a firearm
 
pepper spray
a nonlethal aerosol spray made with the pepper derivative oleoresin capiscum; used to cause temporary blindness and incapacitate an attacker; also used as a bear deterrent
 
pike
medieval weapon consisting of a spearhead attached to a long pole or pikestaff; superseded by the bayonet
 
poison gas
a gas that is poisonous to breath or contact; used in chemical warfare
 
precision rifle
an extremely powerful rifle developed for the military; capable of destroying light armored vehicles and aircraft more than a mile away
 
Quaker gun
a dummy gun or piece of artillery made usually of wood
 
quarrel
an arrow that is shot from a crossbow; has a head with four edges
 
rapier
a straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges
 
repeater
a firearm that can fire several rounds without reloading
 
revolver
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
 
rifle
a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
 
rifle ball
a bullet designed to be fired from a rifle; no longer made spherical in shape
 
riot gun
a firearm designed to disperse rioters rather than to inflict serious injury or death
 
rubber bullet
a bullet made of hard rubber; designed for use in crowd control
 
saber
a fencing sword with a v-shaped blade and a slightly curved handle
 
SAM
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
 
Saturday night special
a cheap handgun that is easily obtained
 
sawed-off shotgun
a shotgun with short barrels
 
scattergun
firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
 
scimitar
a curved oriental saber; the edge is on the convex side of the blade
 
seeker
a missile equipped with a device that is attracted toward some kind of emission (heat or light or sound or radio waves)
 
semiautomatic firearm
an autoloader that fires only one shot at each pull of the trigger
 
semiautomatic
a pistol that is a semiautomatic firearm capable of loading and firing continuously
 
set gun
a gun that is set to fire on any intruder that comes in contact with the wire that sets it off
 
shiv
a knife used as a weapon
 
sidewinder
air-to-air missile with infrared homing device
 
slasher
a weapon (a sword or dagger) used for slashing
 
sling
a simple weapon consisting of a looped strap in which a projectile is whirled and then released
 
smoothbore
a firearm that has no rifling
 
space probe
a rocket-propelled guided missile that can escape the earth's atmosphere; makes observations of the solar system that cannot be made by terrestrial observation
 
Spandau
a German machine gun
 
spitball
a projectile made by chewing a piece of paper and shaping it into a sphere
 
staphylococcal enterotoxin B
a form of staphylococcal enterotoxin that has been used as an incapacitating agent in biological warfare
 
Sten gun
a lightweight British submachine gun
 
stiletto
a small dagger with a tapered blade
 
Stinger
a portable low altitude surface-to-air missile system using infrared guidance and an impact fuse; fired from the shoulder
 
stun baton
a weapon designed to disable a victim temporarily by delivering a nonlethal high-voltage electric shock
 
submachine gun
machine gun that is a portable automatic firearm
 
Thompson submachine gun
a .45-caliber submachine gun
 
trench knife
a knife with a double-edged blade for hand-to-hand fighting
 
trident
a spear with three prongs
 
twenty-two pistol
a .22-caliber pistol
 
twenty-two rifle
a .22-caliber rifle
 
Uzi
a type of submachine gun that is designed and manufactured in Israel
 
V-1
a small jet-propelled winged missile that carries a bomb
 
Verey pistol
a pistol for firing Very-light flares
 
vouge
a kind of pike used by foot soldiers in the 14th century
 
VX gas
a highly lethal nerve agent used in chemical warfare; a toxic liquid that penetrates the skin or lungs to disrupt the nervous system and stop respiration; in combat VX gas is deployed by detonating a container over the target area and can persist in the environment up to several weeks after release
 
W.M.D.
a weapon that kills or injures civilian as well as military personnel (nuclear and chemical and biological weapons)
 
whaling gun
a gun (or device resembling a gun) for discharging a projectile (especially a harpoon) at a whale
 
Winchester
a shoulder rifle
 
yataghan
a long Turkish knife with a curved blade having a single edge
 
zip gun
a crude homemade pistol