Definition

1. Noun:
   • An object designed or used to inflict harm or damage, or to threaten such action: A physical instrument used in fighting, hunting, or combat.
   • A means of gaining an advantage or defending oneself in a conflict: Something used to persuade, argue, or achieve a goal in a non-physical contest.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Physical Object):
  • The soldier cleaned his weapon carefully.
  • Hunting weapons have evolved from spears to rifles.
• Noun (Figurative Means):
  • Sarcasm can be a powerful weapon in an argument.
  • Education is a weapon against ignorance.

Advanced Usage

• "To be a double-edged weapon": Something that can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences.
  • Social media is a double-edged weapon; it connects people but can also spread misinformation.
• "To turn something into a weapon": To use something, often not originally intended for harm, as a tool for attack or coercion.
  • In the debate, she turned her opponent's own words into a weapon against him.

Variants and Related Words

• Weaponry (n): Weapons collectively; military arms and equipment.
  • The museum displayed the weaponry of ancient Rome.
• Weaponize (v): To adapt or use something as a weapon.
  • Some fear that artificial intelligence could be weaponized.

Synonyms

• Arm: (Often used in plural, ) Weapons considered collectively.
• Arsenal: A collection of weapons or the place where they are stored.
• Instrument: A tool or implement, which can be used figuratively like 'weapon'.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• None commonly used as a phrasal verb with 'weapon'. The word is typically used as a standalone noun.

Related Idioms

• "A weapon of mass destruction (WMD)": A nuclear, radiological, chemical, or biological weapon capable of causing widespread death and destruction.
  • The treaty aimed to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• "To beat swords into plowshares": To convert military resources to peaceful purposes. (This idiom contrasts with the concept of weapons.)
  • After the war, the nation sought to beat its swords into plowshares and rebuild.

Noun

1. a means of persuading or arguing
   • he used all his conversational weapons
2. any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
   • he was licensed to carry a weapon