army
Americannoun
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the military forces of a nation, exclusive of the navy and in some countries the air force.
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(in large military land forces) a unit consisting typically of two or more corps and a headquarters.
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a large body of persons trained and armed for war.
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any body of persons organized for any purpose.
an army of census takers.
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a very large number or group of something; a great multitude; a host.
the army of the unemployed.
noun
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the military land forces of a nation
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a military unit usually consisting of two or more corps with supporting arms and services
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(modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of an army
army rations
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any large body of people united for some specific purpose
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a large number of people, animals, etc; multitude
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of army
1350–1400; Middle English armee < Middle French < Latin armāta. Cf. Armada
Explanation
An army is an organized group of fighters, especially a country's official military force. When a country goes to war, it sends an army to fight. An army is typically defined as fighting on land, while a navy battles at sea, and some countries make this even more clear by distinguishing their "Land Army" from their "Air Army." The 14th century meaning of army was "armed expedition," from the Old French armée and the Latin root armata, "armed, equipped, or in arms."
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.
See Examples For:
Chad's decision to leave the ICC after 20 years comes amid allegations by national and international organisations of Ndjamena's suspected involvement in the war in neighbouring Sudan between the army and paramilitaries.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Greek army was orphaned, without provisions or protection, a very long way from home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
In early 2024, the Indian Army launched the Girls Sports Company to train girls aged 12 to 16 in four Olympic sports, including boxing, creating a pathway to elite competition and army recruitment.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
After winning bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Lamboria became the first female boxer inducted into the army, joining the Corps of Military Police.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Pepe San Román and Erneido Oliva, the brigade’s commanders, were professional soldiers—both in their late twenties, both ex-officers in the Cuban army.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
And their confidence in front of TV cameras and on their own social media has won them armies of new admirers.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
All this was despite the economic boost from the World Cup, which has brought armies of big-spending fans to multiple American big cities.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Anti-putsch protests were put down by security forces, but activists quit the cities to form pro-democracy guerrilla groups, fighting alongside ethnic minority armies which have long resisted central rule.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
If either he or Boll hoped Musk’s endorsement would boost the film’s profile, they’ll be sorely mistaken: Bot armies don’t pay to rent movies.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
But when such an alliance cannot be avoided, as happened to the Florentines when the Pope and Spain went with their armies to attack Lombardy, then a prince should join for the reasons given above.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
