armory

American  

[ahr-muh-ree] / ˈɑr mə ri /

noun

• armories
  plural

1. a storage place for weapons and other war equipment.

2. a building that is the headquarters and drill center of a military unit.

3. a place where arms and armor are made; an armorer's shop; arsenal.

4. Heraldry. the art of blazoning arms.

5. heraldry.

6. arms or armor collectively.

7. Archaic. heraldic bearings or arms.

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armory British  

/ ˈɑːmərɪ /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of armoury

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• armories
  plural

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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

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

armory armories

Their armory is formidable; their cash supply, a source of comic relief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

That not only fills the armory; it creates a system to keep it full.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

His band quickly took control of a federal armory and rifle factory in the sleeping town of Harpers Ferry.

From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2026

One key relief weapon Roberts hopes to have in his armory is Brusdar Graterol.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

The armory next to it hangs open, the room beyond, empty.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Gun restrictions in ports along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman mean security companies have to store their weapons offshore on floating armories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

The mobilized Marines and National Guard troops “will be stationed all across Los Angeles ... that includes Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and a number of National Guard armories across the city,” Guillot said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2025

Following Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, France was among countries that quickly released weapons from its own armories to help shore up Ukrainian defenses.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2024

As water drained from the dam and flooded a 50-mile stretch of the Dnieper, Ukrainian territory along the western banks was swallowed up wholesale—farms, gas stations, land mines, armories, factories, houses, railroad tracks, forests.

From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2023

From pole to pole, IOI-1 was covered with armories, bunkers, warehouses, and vehicle hangars.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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Related Words

• depot
• headquarters

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