gunnery

noun

gun·​nery ˈgə-nə-rē How to pronounce gunnery (audio)
ˈgən-rē
: the use of guns
especially : the science of the flight of projectiles and of the effective use of guns

Examples of gunnery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
UAVs were also long used as targets for gunnery and missile-firing practice and testing. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026 Each crew member has different stats and proficiencies for gunnery, ship repair, melee attack, and melee defense. — PCMAG, 20 Feb. 2025 At just 19, he was commissioned as a gunnery officer and shipped off to the Pacific Theater. — Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025 Sober, almost austere, courageous under fire but famously reluctant to disclose his thinking, the admiral was a master of gunnery, signaling and the handling of ships under sail. — Nick Bunker, Washington Post, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for gunnery

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunnery was in 1601

Phrases Containing gunnery

Rhymes for gunnery

See All Rhymes for gunnery

Browse Nearby Words

Gunneraceae
gunnery
gunnery officer
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Cite this Entry

“Gunnery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunnery. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

gunnery

noun
gun·​nery ˈgən-(ə-)rē How to pronounce gunnery (audio)
: the use of guns

More from Merriam-Webster on gunnery

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gunnery

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