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
In the virtual panel discussion last week, union leaders described the Lake City facility as the largest producer of small arms ammunition for the armed forces.
—
Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
View gallery - 6 images With a simple switch of a magazine, the Drone Round is claimed to turn a standard NATO caliber small arm into a drone-killing weapon that combines the scattershot of a shotgun with the speed, power and rapid fire of an infantry assault rifle.
—David Szondy
april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The suspension applies to at least a part of SIG Sauer, a major small arms maker based in Switzerland and Germany.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small arm
Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
View gallery - 6 images With a simple switch of a magazine, the Drone Round is claimed to turn a standard NATO caliber small arm into a drone-killing weapon that combines the scattershot of a shotgun with the speed, power and rapid fire of an infantry assault rifle.
—David Szondy
april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The suspension applies to at least a part of SIG Sauer, a major small arms maker based in Switzerland and Germany.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small arm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arm
Noun
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During that encounter, the officer discharged their firearm, striking the subject.—
CBS News Miami Digital Team,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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By deed restriction, the forest is a game preserve and no firearms are allowed, according to DEEP.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2026
Noun
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Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office is prepared to prosecute the case against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of pointing a gun at two people on a Twin Cities highway regardless of whether the case ends up in federal or state court.—
Riley Moser,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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With the headset comes two controllers that feel like the handle of a gun.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arm. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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