armor
Americannoun
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any covering worn as a defense against weapons.
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a suit of armor.
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a metallic sheathing or protective covering, especially metal plates, used on warships, armored vehicles, airplanes, and fortifications.
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mechanized units of military forces, as armored divisions.
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Also called armament. any protective covering, as on certain animals, insects, or plants.
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any quality, characteristic, situation, or thing that serves as protection.
A chilling courtesy was his only armor.
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the outer, protective wrapping of metal, usually fine, braided steel wires, on a cable.
verb (used with object)
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armors,
present (3rd person singular)
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armored,
past participle, past
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armoring
present participle
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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armorsimple
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armorssimple
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have armoredperfect
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has armoredperfect
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am armoringprogressive
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are armoringprogressive
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is armoringprogressive
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have been armoringperfect progressive
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has been armoringperfect progressive
Past
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armoredsimple
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had armoredperfect
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was armoringprogressive
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were armoringprogressive
-
had been armoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of armor
1250–1300; Middle English armo ( u ) r, armure < Anglo-French armour ( e ), armure Old French armëure < Latin armātūra armature; assimilated, in Middle English and Anglo-French, to nouns ending in -our -or 2
Explanation
The metal suit worn by knights as protection in battle is called armor. You can still see suits of armor in many museums today. These days, soldiers still use armor to protect them from bullets and other weapons, though it's not usually made of metal. Modern armor, like bullet-proof vests, is made of extremely strong, dense fabric, while 13th century armor was typically made of steel. In the 14th century, the word itself meant "defensive covering worn in combat" and "means of protection," from the Old French armeure, "weapons or armor," with its Latin root, arma, "arms or gear."
Vocabulary lists containing armor
"Culture Clash"
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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"On the Menu" and "Find the Adaptations"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The technology emerged from research focused on making military uniforms more resistant to mosquito bites and improving comfort for soldiers wearing body armor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
"The path to Plant Armor started with trying to make a cloth to go on a soldier's chest to make body armor more comfortable," said Roe.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Eiko Ishioka designed the blood-red battle armor with a ribbed surface evoking both exposed human musculature and an armadillo’s shell, while the pointed helmet foreshadows the wolf Dracula later becomes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Not every queer person watching has my armor, or my volume, or my stubbornness.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
The rest of Flo’s body, covered with the studded armor, rips through the spiky plants on her sides.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
With each of her characters, Nazarin included, Neshat gradually sheds their armors of self-possession and strength, their reserve and resolve, to reveal how fragile, scared and insecure they truly are.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2022
Minimalism-averse, Gutiérrez adores ornamentation, as the intricate armors and costumes showcased in “Maya” can attest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2021
Around the park’s Homestead entrance last week, hundreds of lubbers were splattered on the asphalt, their crushed orange armors gleaming in the sunlight.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 21, 2019
A majority of the 100 vehicles the company armors each year leave the United States for overseas clients.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2015
The settlement was well stocked in weapons with thirty-two armors of various types, thirty-one swords, and fifty-two small arms.
From The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624 by Charles E. Hatch
“The Beast is going faster than it has ever gone before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the heavily armored presidential limousine.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
The lawyer said they were then moved to an armored vehicle and evacuated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Trump, 80, is expected to take a ceremonial lap of honor in his armored limousine dubbed "The Beast" and then wave the green flag to start the race.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
As I peppered him with questions about the pink car and the Brinks armored truck, he remained cagey while slowly yielding information.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Flanking the doorway were two armored manikins—like skeletal scarecrows made from bronze pipes, outfitted with full suits of Roman armor, shield and sword.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
“They’re armoring the shoreline with rocks and cement walls, sometimes without permits. And Quidnessett is the poster child.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
At the Olympic Sculpture Park, for instance, the insects, crustaceans, worms, snails and clams that feed Chinook salmon were back on the menu less than a year after concrete armoring was removed and habitat restored.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
But human engineering, like building dams or armoring riverbanks, can affect streamflow and raise water temperatures.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 30, 2023
Rodrigo Rivera, manager of Blindatek, a vehicle bulletproofing service, says he started armoring cars three years ago in response to requests from clients of his car accessories company.
From Reuters ● Apr. 25, 2023
Within, Catelyn found Brienne armoring the king for battle while the Lords Tarly and Rowan spoke of dispositions and tactics.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
