"artillery" means: An army unit that uses such weapons, or a military formation using projectile weapons, such as archers.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
artillery
An army unit that uses such weapons, or a military formation using projectile weapons, such as archers.
Seen in the wild
10 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
(The real allied disaster is 1915 imo when offensives were launched knowing full well how important artillery was and lacking it)
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BlueskyMay 2026
The Royal Navy's current approach is to use cheap*er* systems operated from manned ships, and the British Army's approach is to use cheap*er* unmanned systems and artillery to make up for lower conventional vehicle nu…
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BlueskyMay 2026
But the three fascinating things are that it assumes the company is the lowest level of tactical command; that artillery is a delayer not a mankiller (I suspect the Boer war gave a false impression here) and Haking’s…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Buddy said "this is beyond artillery!" Sir, he's just really good at trigonometry lmao #SentencedToBeAHero
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BlueskyMay 2026
#artillery #conflict #Democratic Republic of the Congo #eastern #offensive #rebels #Republic #Republic of the Congo #war
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Definitions
#1·Apr 26, 2026
An army unit that uses such weapons, or a military formation using projectile weapons, such as archers.
The old walls were surely strong enough to keep out men without battering-rams, balistas, or artillery of any kind. [Footnote] Artillery is here used in its old English meaning for any kind of warlike engine. Cf. I Sam. XX. 40.
For parents
"artillery" means: An army unit that uses such weapons, or a military formation using projectile weapons, such as archers.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"artillery" means: An army unit that uses such weapons, or a military formation using projectile weapons, such as archers.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“2/serving as one of the key suppliers for artillery systems. Despite protection from three Pantsir-S1 air defence systems positioned on embankments, both drones reached and struck their targets.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Artillery gun and limber (most likely A Battery Regiment of the New South Wales Artillery) with a harnessed team of horses preparing for a military parade at Victoria Barracks. Sydney, circa 1900. #ADF #arty #dropshorts”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🔴 BREAKING: Drone strike on Odesa port targets naval vessels Russian forces conducted a drone strike on the port of Odesa, targeting a patrol boat and an artillery boat. The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority reported damage to a civilian vessel during the attack. #Ukraine #Russia”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Two AN-196 Lyutyi drones struck two military explosives production workshops at Russia’s Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk on April 30. The facility produces TNT, RDX, HMX and fills ammunition, serving as a key supplier for Russian artillery systems. #Russia”
— Bluesky· May 2026“RE: Period pieces Looking at the cover of an old issue of "People" in my aunt's bathroom about "Diddy's Downfall" and now I'm imagining Diddy in a bunker screaming "NEIN NEIN NEIN" while bottles of baby oil fall from the walls with every aboveground artillery strike.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 26, 2026
Large projectile weapons, in modern usage usually large guns, but also rocket artillery.
The old walls were surely strong enough to keep out men without battering-rams, balistas, or artillery of any kind. [Footnote] Artillery is here used in its old English meaning for any kind of warlike engine. Cf. I Sam. XX. 40.
Origin: From , from , from to equip, provide with contraptions, alteration of to arrange, adjust, put on clothes or, especially, pieces of armour (influenced by art), itself from < **apticulō, from. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Heard in the wild
“(The real allied disaster is 1915 imo when offensives were launched knowing full well how important artillery was and lacking it)”
— Bluesky· May 2026“The Royal Navy's current approach is to use cheap*er* systems operated from manned ships, and the British Army's approach is to use cheap*er* unmanned systems and artillery to make up for lower conventional vehicle numbers. They *agree* that unmanned systems are the future!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“But the three fascinating things are that it assumes the company is the lowest level of tactical command; that artillery is a delayer not a mankiller (I suspect the Boer war gave a false impression here) and Haking’s own career”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Buddy said "this is beyond artillery!" Sir, he's just really good at trigonometry lmao #SentencedToBeAHero”
— Bluesky· May 2026“#artillery #conflict #Democratic Republic of the Congo #eastern #offensive #rebels #Republic #Republic of the Congo #war”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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#3·Apr 26, 2026
Weapons, especially siege engines.
The old walls were surely strong enough to keep out men without battering-rams, balistas, or artillery of any kind. [Footnote] Artillery is here used in its old English meaning for any kind of warlike engine. Cf. I Sam. XX. 40.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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