cannon

cannon — noun

1. a huge gun mounted on a wheeled frame that shoots heavy projectiles, commonly ma

1.nounB2
Definition

a huge gun mounted on a wheeled frame that shoots heavy projectiles, commonly made of iron or rock, and was a standard battlefield weapon from the 1400s to the 1800s.

Example

The soldiers fired the cannon from the hilltop at the enemy fort below.

cannon + fire + at [target]

A single cannonball from the old cannon tore through the wooden ship.

Common collocations
  • fire a cannon
  • load a cannon
  • cannon crew
  • iron cannon
  • bronze cannon
Synonyms
  • artillery piece

    more general military term for any large gun

  • howitzer

    a specific type of cannon that fires at a steep angle, not synonymous but related

Usage Note

This sense refers specifically to the pre-20th-century type of artillery. For modern guns on vehicles or aircraft, see sense 2.

2. a powerful automatic gun that is fitted to an aircraft, tank, or other vehicle,

2.nounB2
Definition

a powerful automatic gun that is fitted to an aircraft, tank, or other vehicle, and fires many rounds of ammunition quickly in succession.

Example

The fighter jet fired its cannons at the target during the training exercise.

cannon + fired + from [vehicle]

The tank's cannon rotated slowly as it searched for enemy vehicles.

Common collocations
  • aircraft cannon
  • tank cannon
  • fire a cannon
  • cannon shell
  • side-mounted cannon
Synonyms
  • autocannon

    technical term for a rapid-fire cannon, especially on aircraft

  • machine gun

    similar in function but typically smaller calibre than a cannon

Usage Note

In modern military contexts, 'cannon' usually refers to a rapid-fire automatic gun on a vehicle, while a soldier's handheld weapon is a 'rifle' or 'machine gun'.

3. a play common to snooker, billiards, and similar cue sports where the player str

3.nounC1
Definition

a play common to snooker, billiards, and similar cue sports where the player strikes the cue ball so that it touches two separate object balls during a single turn.

Example

Yusuf studied the crowded table and played a perfect cannon, sending the red ball into the far corner pocket.

play + a + cannon (snooker shot)

The player called out the cannon just before his cue struck the white ball near the centre of the table.

Common collocations
  • play a cannon
  • call a cannon
  • need a cannon
Synonyms
  • carom

    the American English term for a shot where the cue ball hits two balls

  • combination shot

    used in pool when the cue ball strikes one ball that then hits another

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively in the sports of snooker, billiards, and similar cue-sports. In American pool, the same action is called a 'combination shot' or 'carom'.

4. an arm that is very strong and allows a player, especially a baseball pitcher or

4.nounB2
Definition

an arm that is very strong and allows a player, especially a baseball pitcher or outfielder, to throw the ball at great speed and distance.

Example

The scout signed the young pitcher because of his incredible cannon of an arm.

cannon of an arm — informal idiom for a strong throwing arm

The scout noticed Hana has a cannon after she threw the ball all the way home from centre field.

has a cannon — informal for a powerful throwing arm

Common collocations
  • has a cannon
  • a cannon for an arm
  • cannon arm
Synonyms
  • strong arm

    more literal, less colourful than 'cannon'

  • power arm

    similar meaning but less common in sports commentary

Usage Note

Always used in a sports context and almost always with 'have' or 'has' (e.g. 'has a cannon'). The expression 'a cannon for an arm' is common in baseball commentary.

Common Mistakes

She has a cannon leg for kicking
She has a cannon for an arm in baseball.
'cannon' for a body part is only used for the arm, and only in throwing sports.

cannon — verb

Word family

  • cannonball
    nounB2
  • cannonade
    nounC2
  • cannoncer
    nounC2
  • cannoneer
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to large guns that fire projectiles over long distances, but they differ in design and use. A 'cannon' is the classic wheeled gun of the 16th–19th centuries, firing solid balls along a flat trajectory. A 'howitzer' is a shorter-barrelled cannon that fires shells in a high arc, reaching targets behind hills or walls, and is still used in modern armies. A 'mortar' is a very short tube, usually carried by soldiers, that fires bombs in a steep arc at short ranges. 'Artillery piece' is the broadest term — any large-calibre gun mounted on a carriage or vehicle, including cannons, howitzers, and mortars. For example: 'The museum displayed a cannon from the Napoleonic Wars,' but 'The modern howitzer fired shells over the mountain ridge.'

cannon ↗howitzermortarartillery piece

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • fire a cannon
  • load a cannon
  • cannon into someone
  • cannon off a surface
  • has a cannon
  • a cannon for an arm

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

The English word 'cannon' comes from Old French 'canon' (a tube, a gun), which itself comes from Italian 'cannone' — meaning a large tube or barrel, literally a 'big cane' or 'big reed.' The Italian word was formed by adding the suffix '-one' (meaning 'big') to 'canna' (a reed or tube from Latin 'canna'). So the original image was of a large hollow tube, like an oversized drinking straw, adapted for firing projectiles. The verb sense of colliding or bouncing developed in the 1800s, probably from the idea of a cannonball hitting a surface and rebounding.