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
He defended a public "call to arms" made at a Downing Street news conference on 10 April 2020 for more UK suppliers of PPE to come forward.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 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
These punks were determined to keep it real as a call to arms against perceived injustices and a rallying cry for each of us to maintain our inner strength when facing external chaos.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2024
I wondered if they were tolling a call to arms or to prayer.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
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.
