armament

noun

ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt How to pronounce armament (audio)
 also  ˈärm-mənt
1
: a military or naval force
2
a
: the aggregate of a nation's military strength
b
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 But the flawed genius behind the breakthrough invention in atomic armament represents an ideal match of director and material, allowing Nolan to nerd out over detailed scientific theorization while masterfully building a slow-burn thriller. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Industry has no idea just how serious Del Toro will be in championing industry accountability, and are upset at being publicly targeted for ailments endemic to the entire armaments industry. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 But an Asia reeling from the annexation of Taiwan would present very different circumstances and might send leaders scrambling to acquire nuclear armaments to protect themselves. Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024 The American military and financial aid package stalled in Congress would not be spent entirely on new weaponry for Ukraine; a portion would go to replacing armaments from U.S. stockpiles already provided to Ukraine. Marc Santora, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Even with those caveats, the Phalanx is an important armament for the US Navy. Brad Lendon, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024 Americans in 31 states are buying armaments legally and then selling them illegally to smugglers who are in turn selling them to the Haitian gangs. Joe Cirasuolo, Hartford Courant, 5 Jan. 2024 The idea is to supplement weaponry provided by Western partners with armaments produced domestically by Ukraine, including innovative systems like the sea drone fleet. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023 At least three Communist Party officials in the Politburo — the party’s council of 24 top cadres — rose through the ranks in the armaments or aerospace sector. Chris Buckley, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'armament.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of armament was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near armament

Cite this Entry

“Armament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/armament. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

armament

noun
ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt How to pronounce armament (audio)
1
: the military strength and equipment of a nation
2
: a supply of war materials
3
: the process of preparing for war
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!