Meaning of cannon in English

cannon

/ˈkæn.ən/ uk

/ˈkæn.ən/

cannon noun [C] (GUN)

plural cannons or or cannon

a large, powerful gun, usually attached to two or four wheels, that was used in the past to fire heavy stone or metal balls:

The 5,000-pound cannon predates the Civil War.

The cannon were positioned on the field of battle.

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plural cannons or or cannon

a gun fastened to an aircraft:

A burst of fire was discharged by the jet's 20mm cannon.

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They could hear the peal of bells and the roar of cannon.
The U. S., Jefferson felt, was safe from Napoleon's cannons and muskets.
A shell shot out of the cannon and whizzed through the sky.
If anything looked suspicious, they did not hesitate to blow it up with a grenade, a cannon or the main gun of a tank.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Guns

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cannon noun [C] (HIT)

(US carom)

in snooker or billiards, an occasion when the ball hits two other balls one after the other:

In snooker, a cannon can be used to improve your position.

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A cannon in English billiards has a scoring value of 2 points.

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Snooker, pool & billiards

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Hitting against objects accidentally and colliding

cannon noun [C] (STRONG ARM)

US informal

a powerful arm that allows someone to throw a ball very hard:

He has an absolute cannon and can fire the ball from home plate to second base in less than two seconds.

He has shown us that he has a cannon for an arm, but he has been prone to injuries.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Throwing

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Baseball & rounders

Football

cannon

verb

/ˈkæn.ən/ uk

/ˈkæn.ən/

[ I usually + adv/prep ] mainly UK

to knock or hit against someone or something forcefully and suddenly, usually at an angle:

I was rushing along the corridor when I cannoned into someone coming out of a side door.

[ I usually + adv/prep ] UK

(US carom)

to hit someone or something and bounce back at an angle:

The ball cannoned off the defender's shins and into the net.

[ I or T ] UK

(US carom)

in snooker or billiards, to cause the ball to hit two other balls one after the other:

He cannoned the cue ball off one red into another.

If the player strikes the opponent's ball, cannons onto the red ball and then goes in off it, 4 points are scored.

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Because she wasn't looking where she was going, she almost cannoned into another girl.
Their car cannoned off the kerb, tyres squealing.
He beat the goalkeeper only to see the ball cannon back off the post.
The cue ball cannoned in off a yellow.
What do you call a shot where you intentionally cannon the cue ball off of one red into another red so that the second red goes into a pocket?