armed forces

American  

plural noun

1. military, naval, and air forces, especially of a nation or of a number of nations.

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armed forces British  

plural noun

1. the military forces of a nation or nations, including the army, navy, air force, marines, etc

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Etymology

Origin of armed forces

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

As well as conventional armed forces and well-armed police, there is the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, with an explicit mandate to protect the regime at home and abroad.

From BBC

“The idea is to close the gap that all Western armed forces have right now because they see that they are behind in the drone technology,” said Lehna, who is a former German military officer.

From The Wall Street Journal

The commander of Iran’s army said in January that the armed forces received a new shipment of 1,000 drones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet, it retains institutional structures, armed forces and a capacity for retaliation that complicate any straightforward path to regime change.

From BBC

But Ms. Rodríguez emerged unscathed and was immediately promoted, making her commander in chief of Venezuela’s armed forces and security forces.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• military
• troops