as in firearm
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
the soldiers keep their small arms securely in their holsters when not on patrol
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Recent Examples of small arm
This support has included attack helicopters, amphibious vehicles, tanks, and anti-tank missiles, as well as small arms and light weapons, according to UN sources as well as organizations such as Small Arms Survey and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
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Aditi Gorur, Foreign Affairs, 27 July 2016
At one point, CNN also heard bursts of small arms fire in the distance.
—Jeremy Diamond and Mike Schwartz, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
And here is a group of guerrillas who, with the help of Iran but fighting with small arms and so on, was able to achieve that.
—Peter Balonon-Rosen, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
With this minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon uses a computer with special controls that guide the robot's small arms, which have a camera and special instruments attached to them.
—Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for small arm 
Aditi Gorur, Foreign Affairs, 27 July 2016
At one point, CNN also heard bursts of small arms fire in the distance.
—Jeremy Diamond and Mike Schwartz, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
And here is a group of guerrillas who, with the help of Iran but fighting with small arms and so on, was able to achieve that.
—Peter Balonon-Rosen, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
With this minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon uses a computer with special controls that guide the robot's small arms, which have a camera and special instruments attached to them.
—Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for small arm
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Cite this Entry
“Small arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arm. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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