army

noun

ar·​my ˈär-mē 

plural armies

1

a

: a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land

b

: a unit capable of independent action and consisting usually of a headquarters, two or more corps, and auxiliary troops

c

often capitalized : the complete military organization of a nation for land warfare

2

: a great multitude

an army of birds

3

: a body of persons organized to advance a cause

Synonyms

• array
• battalion
• host
• legion

Examples of army in a Sentence

the armies of Alexander the Great

He left home and joined the army after he graduated from high school.

The company employs an army of lawyers to handle its legal affairs.

They sent in a whole army of trained technicians.

The organization was founded by a dedicated army of volunteers.

Recent Examples on the Web

The army has stepped up airstrikes in the half of the country that the RSF controls, while the RSF has staged raids on villages and intense artillery strikes. —Reuters, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

The rapid advance of opposition forces left little resistance from the Syrian army, which disintegrated as the rebels moved into Damascus. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

The relationship went both ways, with Hezbollah fighters serving as shock troops that bolstered Assad’s flagging army — an intervention the group justified as protecting Shiite minorities and shrines in Syria from Islamist and jihadi factions in the opposition. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024

The Syrian army, whose troops were underpaid, demoralized and forcibly recruited, chose to strip off their uniforms instead of putting up a fight. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English armee, armye "host of armed men, naval fleet, military expedition," borrowed from Anglo-French armé, armee, from armer "to arm entry 2" + -ee, suffix of action or result (going back to Vulgar Latin *-āta, noun derivative from feminine of Latin -ātus, past participle ending of Latin first-conjugation verbs)

Note: Compare Spanish armada "military force, fleet of warships"—see armada.

First Known Use

circa 1522, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing army

• army ant
• general of the army
• sergeant major of the army
• standing army

Kids Definition

army

noun

ar·​my ˈär-mē 

plural armies

1

a

: a large body of men and women organized for land warfare

b

often capitalized : the complete military organization of a nation for land warfare

2

: a great number of persons or things

3

: a body of persons organized to promote an idea

Etymology

Middle English armee "army," from early French armee (same meaning), derived from Latin arma "weapons"