armament

noun

ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt How to pronounce armament (audio)
 also  ˈärm-mənt
1
: a military or naval force
2
a
: the aggregate of a nation's military strength
b
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By the thinnest of margins, this lecture for one on the state of Russian nuclear armament and tandem British-American attempts to contain it is the second-best scene of the episode. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024 Cut to: high above the city, as another round of bombing begins — but as seen from the P.O.V. of the falling armaments themselves. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024 Last week, the halls and booths of the Association of the U.S. Army conference were choked with counter-drone armaments. Colin Demarest, Axios, 23 Oct. 2024 Even before then, U.S. officials claimed to have intelligence showing that Russia bought millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, which secretly supplied the armaments by disguising them as shipments to other countries. Jacob Knutson, Axios, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for armament 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of armament was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near armament

Cite this Entry

“Armament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/armament. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

armament

noun
ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt How to pronounce armament (audio)
1
: the military strength and equipment of a nation
2
: a supply of war materials
3
: the process of preparing for war
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!