armory
Americannoun
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a storage place for weapons and other war equipment.
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a building that is the headquarters and drill center of a military unit.
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a place where arms and armor are made; an armorer's shop; arsenal.
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Heraldry. the art of blazoning arms.
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arms or armor collectively.
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Archaic. heraldic bearings or arms.
noun
Etymology
Origin of armory
1300–50; Middle English armerie, armur ( i ) e < Middle French armoierie, equivalent to Old French armoi ( er ) to bear arms (derivative of armes arm 2 ) + -erie -ery
Explanation
An armory is a special military building where weapons and ammunition are kept. In the old days, when an army needed more cannon balls, it would retrieve them from an armory. An armory is an important part of a military's assets, since it stores arms and equipment and is also sometimes the place where soldiers are trained to use them. Another way to use the noun armory is to refer to a stockpile or stash of non-military goods. You might talk about, for example, your armory of cupcake recipes or your armory of perfectly sharpened pencils. The Latin root, arma, means "weapons."
Vocabulary lists containing armory
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1-2-3 Scream!
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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.
Benjamin Millepied brought to the Park Avenue Armory his site-specific “Romeo and Juliet,” originally choreographed for Walt Disney Concert Hall and, later, the Hollywood Bowl, in collaboration with Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
At the Park Avenue Armory, Benjamin Millepied’s camera-assisted contemporary version of Prokofiev’s Shakespeare-inspired ballet makes an ungainly patchwork out of the classic tale.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
Armory, a building that has become the main staging ground for troops from eight states who have been deployed to the city since August.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
The Center for Cultural Innovation worked closely with Side Street Projects in Altadena and Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena to help guide applicants through the process.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2025
Army surgeon, was on duty at the Armory Square Hospital in Washington when he heard that President Lincoln and General Grant would be at the performance that night.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
