armory

noun

ar·​mory ˈärm-rē 

ˈär-mə-

plural armories

1

a

: a supply of arms for defense or attack

b

: a collection of available resources

2

: a place where arms and military equipment are stored

especially : one used for training reserve military personnel

3

: a place where arms are manufactured

Did you know?

An armory has traditionally been a military storage compound where machine guns, rifles, pistols, ammunition, parts, and accessories are kept. In the U.S., National Guard and Reserve units often use armories as training headquarters in peacetime. Ever since George Washington established the country's first armory in Springfield in 1777, arsenals and armories of the Army Ordnance Corps have had a remarkable history of arms manufacture.

Synonyms

• arsenal
• depot
• dump
• magazine

Examples of armory in a Sentence

the site of a 19th-century armory

the soldier was sent to the armory to get a replacement weapon for the one that had been stolen

Recent Examples on the Web

No one seems to know when the local American Legion Post began holding services for Armistice Day — Veterans Day or when the annual ceremony was first held at the armory. —Kevin Dayhoff, Baltimore Sun, 16 Nov. 2024

The kibbutz’s rapid response team had only four rifles available to defend against heavily armed terrorists; the Israel Defense Forces had removed other weapons from the armory for fear of theft. —Yaakov Lappin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024

Surrender, then, will come not when the opponent’s numbers are diminished and its armory empty but when the survivors’ shield of silicon is rendered incapable of saving its technological assets—and finally its human deputies. —Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024

Fortunately, Joe and the band of gray guys were successful in crossing the border into Mexico without their armory being detected, taking out a cartel patrol, and quickly tac-ing up. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English armerie, armurie, armorye "armor and weapons, storehouse for weaponry, workshop in which weapons are made or repaired," borrowed from Anglo-French armurrie, from armure "arms, armor" + -ie -y entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

armory

noun

ar·​mory ˈärm-(ə-)rē 

plural armories

1

: a supply of weapons

2

: a place where arms are kept and where soldiers are often trained

3

: a place where arms are made