Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cannonball

/ˈkænənˌbɔːl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: can-non-ball
IPA: /ˈkænənˌbɔːl/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon.

noun

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

noun

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.

noun

Something that moves fast, especially a fast train.

Slang

noun

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

verb

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

Intransitive verb

verb

To career; to move rapidly.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.40"
"The cannonball could be called the S.U.V. of the pool — oversized, brash, hormonally hardwired."
"Meetings of the model train club always begin with the song "Wabash Cannonball"."
"He cannonballed into the pool, drenching us all."
"The car cannonballed past."

Etymology

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

Usage

Inflected Forms

cannonballs (plural) cannonballs (present, singular) cannonballing (participle, present) cannonballed (participle, past) cannonballed (past)

Derived Forms

cannonballer

Phrases

cannonball effect cannonball fungus cannonball mangrove cannonball problem cannonball run cannonball tree human cannonball jack-knife

Frequently Paired Words

jack-knife bellyflop backflop rip entry

Synonyms

solid shot ball round shot cannon ball

Questions

How do you pronounce cannonball?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkænənˌbɔːl/.
What does cannonball mean?: A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon.
Where does cannonball come from?: From cannon + ball from being a round ball that is fired from a cannon.

How to pronounce cannonball

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cannonball”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkænənˌbɔːl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cannonball”.
Repeat and practice — Say “cannonball” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.