call to arms
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of call to arms
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
A call to arms for big sisters everywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
The government responded with a wider call to arms that saw thousands of men from government-allied armed factions deploy to the coast.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2025
It was a call to arms, a campaign strategy session, and—above all—an honest-to-God old-fashioned Pentecostal tent revival.
From Slate • Sep. 25, 2024
George put out a call to arms, reminding the fans how the players would valiantly "defend our home" against Andy Farrell's Irish invaders.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024
She was a committed pacifist, but she was receiving pressure from constituents who wanted her to support the president’s call to arms.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
