archery
Americannoun
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the art, practice, or skill of an archer.
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archers collectively, as in an army.
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the equipment of an archer, as bows and arrows.
noun
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the art or sport of shooting with bows and arrows
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archers or their weapons collectively
Etymology
Origin of archery
1350–1400; Middle English archerye < Middle French archerie, equivalent to arch ( i ) er archer + -ie -y 3
Explanation
If you like to shoot arrows at a target with a bow, you're a fan of archery. Athletes who compete in archery are called archers. If you decide to try archery, you'll need a bow and some arrows, and ideally a target. These days, archery is mainly a hobby or a sport, but archery was originally a way for people to hunt for food or defend themselves from enemies. In Anglo-French, the word is archerye, from the Latin root arcus, or "bow."
Vocabulary lists containing archery
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Should girls be allowed to join the boy scouts? 10 Vocab Words
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Huntress
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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.
They rehearsed martial arts in gentlemanly competitions of archery or horsemanship and recycled past heroics as entertainment in innumerable new stage dramas, literature, paintings and prints.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
The latest plans placed archery in Dignity Health Sports Park, which is already hosting the rugby tournament.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025
The organisation said "high-power crossbows" were available which were "not permitted for use" within "archery disciplines".
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2025
Dre in a lot of ways—self-taught, can play a trumpet, might qualify for the Olympics in archery, can play a piano—self-taught.
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2025
I went to archery class, even though I was terrible at it, and it wasn’t the same without Chiron teaching.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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.
