cannon

The word “cannon” means a large, mounted gun that fires heavy projectiles, historically used in warfare. In plain terms, a large gun for firing heavy shells, or to crash into something with force.

“Cannon” is pronounced KAN-uhn (/ˈkæn.ən/ in IPA).

Here is “cannon” used in a sentence: “The fort's old cannons still point out over the harbor.”

Depending on how it is used, “cannon” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “cannon” comes from Ancient Greek. From Old French canon, from Italian cannone, from Latin canna ("reed"), ultimately from Ancient Greek and Akkadian words for reed. A doublet of "canyon.".

“Cannon” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Cannon” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large, mounted gun that fires heavy projectiles, historically used in warfare.

Cannon, with a double n in the middle, is the large mounted gun that fires heavy projectiles. Canon, with one n, refers to a rule or principle, an accepted body of works, or a church title. Confusing the two is one of the most common spelling errors for this pair.

Both plurals are accepted. In military and historical contexts, cannon often serves as its own plural ("the fort's twenty cannon"), while cannons is also fully standard in general use. Style guides accept either, so consistency within a text matters most.

As a verb, cannon has two uses: to collide with something violently ("she cannoned into the waiter") and to bombard something with cannon fire. The collision sense is especially common in British English, typically followed by "into" or "off."