What does cannoned mean?
"Cannoned" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "to cannon," meaning to collide with something with great force, often with a bouncing or ricocheting motion. It is most commonly heard in British sports commentary and journalism: a football may be described as having cannoned off the crossbar, or a player as cannoning into an opponent. The word also has a precise technical use on the green baize — in billiards and snooker, a "cannon" occurs when the cue ball strikes both object balls in one shot, so "cannoned" can describe successfully playing such a stroke. The term derives from "cannon," ultimately from the Italian "cannone" (large tube), reflecting how the heavy projectile-like impact suggested the firearm. Vivid, energetic, and slightly dramatic, "cannoned" conveys uncontrolled momentum rather than deliberate action, which is why it suits descriptions of crashes, deflections, and accidental collisions more than measured movements.
verbPast tense and past participle of the verb "cannon": to strike something or someone with force, especially in a collision or ricochet; in billiards and snooker, to make a cannon by hitting both object balls with the cue ball in one stroke.
- (of a moving object) struck or collided with something else with considerable force, often rebounding; frequently followed by "into", "off", or "against"
- (in billiards and snooker) made a cannon: hit both object balls with the cue ball in a single stroke
"The car cannoned into a lamppost after skidding on the ice."
"The striker's deflected shot cannoned off the post and rolled back across the goal line."
"Davis needed the cannoned contact on the red to keep his break alive."
In snooker commentary, "he cannoned" can mean a player just pulled off a brilliant double-contact shot — but on the road, the same word describes a crash.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cannoned
The verb derives from the noun "cannon," which entered English in the 14th century from Old French, ultimately from the Italian "cannone," meaning "large tube," an augmentative of "canna" (tube, reed), from Latin "canna." The figurative sense of moving or striking like a cannonball gave rise to the collision verb, attested from the 19th century, particularly in sporting contexts. The billiards sense of "cannon" was borrowed separately from French "carambole," which also yields the English word "carom." Related derivatives of the same root include "cannonade," "cannonball," and "cannoneer."
Related word forms
How cannoned is actually used
The collision sense is chiefly British English and typically appears in sports reporting (football, rugby) and descriptions of accidents. In American English the billiards sense of the base noun "cannon" is less familiar, where "carom" dominates; the past form "cannoned" remains most idiomatic in UK usage.
Easily confused with cannoned
"Canonised" means declared a saint (or elevated as authoritative), while "cannoned" refers to colliding with force or making a cannon shot at billiards.