armament

noun

ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt 

 also  ˈärm-mənt

1

: a military or naval force

2

a

: the aggregate of a nation's military strength

b

: weapons, arms

3

: the process of preparing for war

Examples of armament in a Sentence

The country's armament will take years.

a small nation that is determined to have adequate armaments

Recent Examples on the Web

Tactical nuclear weapons, as the term implies, are far smaller and less powerful than strategic nuclear armaments such as intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying nuclear payloads that could lay waste to large population centers. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024

The American military unleashed all of its armaments and weapons on Vietnam and dropped nearly 8 million tons of bombs. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024

International sanctions are important, Byrd said, but far more is needed from the global community to cut off the junta’s access to jet fuel and international currency, and to stop its resupply of armaments. —Helen Regan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

But the flawed genius behind the breakthrough invention in atomic armament represents an ideal match of director and material, allowing Nolan to nerd out over detailed scientific theorization while masterfully building a slow-burn thriller. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024

Industry has no idea just how serious Del Toro will be in championing industry accountability, and are upset at being publicly targeted for ailments endemic to the entire armaments industry. —Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

But an Asia reeling from the annexation of Taiwan would present very different circumstances and might send leaders scrambling to acquire nuclear armaments to protect themselves. —Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024

The American military and financial aid package stalled in Congress would not be spent entirely on new weaponry for Ukraine; a portion would go to replacing armaments from U.S. stockpiles already provided to Ukraine. —Marc Santora, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024

Even with those caveats, the Phalanx is an important armament for the US Navy. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from French armement "action of arming, equipping of an armed force" (from armer "to arm entry 2" + -ment -ment), reshaped after Latin armāmenta (neuter plural) "sailing gear of a ship, equipment, implements," from armāre "to arm entry 2, equip" + -menta, plural of -mentum -ment

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

armament

noun

ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt 

1

: the military strength and equipment of a nation

2

: a supply of war materials

3

: the process of preparing for war