Editing Weapon (section)

{{Short description|Implement or device used to inflict damage, harm, or kill}}
{{redirect|Weaponry}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Dangerous weapons seized from holiday flights at Manchester Airport.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Selection of weapons and replicas collected by security officers at [[Manchester Airport]] in 2013]]
{{history of war}}

A '''weapon''', '''arm''', or '''armament''' is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or [[Death|kill]]. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as [[hunting]], [[crime]] (e.g., [[murder]]), [[law enforcement]], [[self-defense]], [[war]]fare, or [[suicide]]. In a broader context, weapons may be construed to include anything used to gain a tactical, strategic, material, or mental advantage over an adversary or enemy target.

While ordinary objects such as [[rock (geology)|rocks]] and [[bottle]]s can be [[improvised weapon|used as weapons]], many objects are expressly designed for the purpose; these range from simple implements such as [[club (weapon)|clubs]] and [[sword]]s to complicated modern [[firearm]]s, [[tank]]s, [[missile]]s and [[biological warfare|biological weapons]]. Something that has been repurposed, converted, or enhanced to become a weapon of war is termed '''''weaponized''''', such as a [[biological warfare|weaponized virus]] or [[laser weapon|weaponized laser]].