Standard Lemma guide

cannonball

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkænənˌbɔːl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AE1 N AH0 N B AO2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: solid shot, ball, round shot

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An explosive-filled hollow iron sphere fused through a hole and intended to explode at a calculated distance rather than explode on impact.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The act of jumping (typically into a swimming pool) with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees to create a large splash, mimicking the flight and shape of a cannonball.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: diving, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.40
  • The cannonball could be called the S.U.V. of the pool — oversized, brash, hormonally hardwired.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Something that moves fast, especially a fast train.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, slang

Examples

  • Meetings of the model train club always begin with the song "Wabash Cannonball".

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A served ball that travels with great speed and describes little or no arc in flight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports, tennis

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To jump or dive into water, performing a cannonball landing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • He cannonballed into the pool, drenching us all.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To career; to move rapidly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • The car cannonballed past.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a solid projectile that in former times was fired from a cannon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cannon ball, round shot

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: projectile, missile

History

Etymology

From cannon + ball from being a round ball that is fired from a cannon.

Across languages

Translations

62 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: kanonkoeël — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Albanian: gjyle — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Armenian: հրանոթի գնդակ (hranotʻi gndak) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Armenian: թնդանոթի ռմբագունդ (tʻndanotʻi ṙmbagund) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Azerbaijani: güllə — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Azerbaijani: top topu — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Belarusian: гарма́тнае ядро́ (harmátnaje jadró) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Belarusian: ядро́ (jadró) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Bengali: গোলা (gōla) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Bulgarian: гюле́ (gjulé) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Chinese Mandarin: 砲彈 /炮弹 (pàodàn) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Czech: dělová koule — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Danish: kanonkugle — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Dutch: kanonskogel — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Finnish: tykinkuula — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Finnish: kuula — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • French: boulet de canon — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • German: Kanonenkugel — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Hindi: गोला (golā) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Hungarian: ágyúgolyó — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Ido: kuglego — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Italian: palla di cannone — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Japanese: 砲弾 (hōdan) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Korean: 포탄 (potan) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Korean: 대포알 (daepoal) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Ladino: top — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Macedonian: ѓу́ле (ǵúle) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Maranao: pinang — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Maranao: pitonang — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Middle English: gunneston — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Norman: balle dé canon — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Norman: boulet dé canon — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kanonkule — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kanonkule — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Iranian Persian: گُلولِهٔ توپ (golule-ye tup) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Polish: kula armatnia — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Portuguese: bala de canhão — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Romanian: ghiulea — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Russian: пу́шечное ядро́ (púšečnoje jadró) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Russian: ядро́ (jadró) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Serbo-Croatian: ђу̏ле — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Serbo-Croatian: đȕle — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Slovak: delová guľa — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Spanish: bala de cañón — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Swedish: kanonkula — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Swedish: kula — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Tajik: гулӯлаи тӯп (gulüla-yi tüp) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Turkish: gülle — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Ukrainian: гарма́тне ядро́ (harmátne jadró) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Ukrainian: ядро́ (jadró) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Urdu: گولا (golā) — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Uzbek: toʻp oʻqi — spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon
  • Dutch: bommetje — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • Finnish: pommi — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • German: Arschbombe — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • Macedonian: бо́мба (bómba) — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • Polish: bomba — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • Portuguese: bomba — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • Portuguese: bala de canhão — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • Spanish: bomba — jumping with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees
  • German: rasen — to move rapidly
  • Polish: spieszyć się — to move rapidly
Real reading context

cannonball in complete knowledge articles