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

On November 19, a Russian armament depot in the country’s Bryansk region was hit with what the Russian defense ministry claimed was an ATACMS, and two days later a command post reportedly hosting North Korean generals was hit by Storm Shadow missiles in Russia’s Kursk region. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2024

Flights are also banned over Picatinny Arsenal, a major U.S. Army hub in Dover, New Jersey, geared toward research and development via its armaments center. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 5 Dec. 2024

The total number of nuclear weapons continues to gradually decline from the current number of around 12,000 worldwide, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading organization tracking armaments around the world. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024

With Western support for Ukraine depleting armament reserves, NATO must ensure sustainability. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 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