WMD

Other forms: WMDS

Definitions of WMD

1. noun

   a weapon that kills or injures civilian as well as military personnel (nuclear and chemical and biological weapons)
   synonyms: W.M.D., weapon of mass destruction

   types:

   bioarm, biological weapon, bioweapon

   any weapon usable in biological warfare

   chemical weapon

   chemical substances that can be delivered using munitions and dispersal devices to cause death or severe harm to people and animals and plants

   atomic weapon, nuclear weapon

   a weapon of mass destruction whose explosive power derives from a nuclear reaction

   high explosive

   a powerful chemical explosive that produces gas at a very high rate

   Bacillus anthracis, anthrax bacillus

   a species of bacillus that causes anthrax in humans and in animals (cattle and swine and sheep and rabbits and mice and guinea pigs); can be used a bioweapon

   clostridium perfringens

   anaerobic Gram-positive rod bacterium that produces epsilon toxin; can be used as a bioweapon

   A-bomb, atom bomb, atomic bomb, fission bomb, plutonium bomb

   a nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission (splitting the nuclei of a heavy element like uranium 235 or plutonium 239)

   chemical bomb, gas bomb

   a bomb laden with chemical agents that are released when the bomb explodes

   bursting explosive, disrupting explosive

   a high explosive that is used to damage the target that is under attack

   H-bomb, fusion bomb, hydrogen bomb, thermonuclear bomb

   a nuclear weapon that releases atomic energy by union of light (hydrogen) nuclei at high temperatures to form helium

   megaton bomb

   a nuclear weapon with an explosive power equivalent to one million tons of TNT

   pepper spray

   a nonlethal aerosol spray made with the pepper derivative oleoresin capiscum; used to cause temporary blindness and incapacitate an attacker; also used as a bear deterrent

   aflatoxin

   a potent carcinogen from the fungus Aspergillus; can be produced and stored for use as a bioweapon

   poison gas

   a gas that is poisonous to breath or contact; used in chemical warfare

   botulin, botulinus toxin, botulismotoxin

   potent bacterial toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that causes botulism; can be used as a bioweapon

   SEB, staphylococcal enterotoxin B

   a form of staphylococcal enterotoxin that has been used as an incapacitating agent in biological warfare

   lachrymator, lacrimator, tear gas, teargas

   a gas that makes the eyes fill with tears but does not damage them; used in dispersing crowds

   type of:

   arm, weapon, weapon system

   any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting