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• archer
  archer

  noun

  a person who shoots with a bow and arrow; bowman.
• Archer
  Archer

  noun

  William, 1856–1924, Scottish playwright, drama critic, and translator.

archer

¹ American  

[ahr-cher] / ˈɑr tʃər /

noun

• archers
  plural

1. a person who shoots with a bow and arrow; bowman.

2. Astronomy, Astrology. Archer, the constellation or sign of Sagittarius.

3. an archerfish.

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Archer ² American  

[ahr-cher] / ˈɑr tʃər /

noun

1. William, 1856–1924, Scottish playwright, drama critic, and translator.

2. a first name.

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Archer ¹ British  

/ ˈɑːtʃə /

noun

1. Frederick Scott. 1813–57, British inventor and sculptor. He developed (1851) the wet collodion photographic process, enabling multiple copies of pictures to be made

2. Jeffrey ( Howard ), Baron Archer of Weston-Super-Mare. born 1940, British novelist and Conservative politician. He was an MP from 1969 until 1974. His novels include Kane and Abel (1979), Honour Among Thieves (1993), and The Fourth Estate (1996): from 2001 to 2003 he was imprisoned for perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice

3. William. 1856–1924, Scottish critic and dramatist: made the first English translations of Ibsen

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Archer ² British  

/ ˈɑːtʃə /

noun

1. the constellation Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the zodiac

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archer ³ British  

/ ˈɑːtʃə /

noun

1. a person skilled in the use of a bow and arrow

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• archers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of archer

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Old French archier, from Late Latin arcuārius, equivalent to arcu-, stem of arcus “bow” ( see arc) + -ārius -ary

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Explanation

If you enjoy shooting arrows at a target with a bow, you can call yourself an archer. Some archers compete in the Olympics. In ancient times, archers primarily used their bows and arrows to hunt for food or battle against enemies. There were also famous archers in mythology, including Artemis and Apollo in ancient Greece and Diana and Cupid in ancient Rome. Archer was an Anglo-French word first, from the Old French archier, "archer" or "bowmaker," from the Latin arcus, or "bow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

archer Archer archers

But the ability to hit the Russian archer instead of letting the arrows fall is even better.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

In the field behind them, a scarecrow in the form of an archer, along with rags fluttering from lines of string, are meant to keep birds from scavenging the newly planted seeds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Or an illustration of Donald Trump, as one past archer aimed for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

The identity of the archer, or archers, remains unknown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2025

The battlements bristled with spears and swords and scorpions, there was an archer at every crenel and arrow slit, the drawbridge was up, the portcullis down, the gates closed and barred.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

The expansion follows Boeing’s agreement in August to take a nearly 20% stake in Archer Aviation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Archer, a California-based startup, recently completed the Northern California leg of its flight tour, which was meant to show how air taxis would work in urban areas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Actor Mads Mikkelsen, known for appearances in films such as Casino Royale and TV show Hannibal, plays mysterious enemy The Archer.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

In fairness to England, they have improved in ODI cricket - winning their three previous series this year - and they were without three first-choice players in Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Archer felt the crew members turn on him.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Henry’s archers carried longbows that cost little, drawn by men trained in every village across the kingdom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

It was defended by a mix of infantry, archers, and cavalry drawn from across the Roman Empire.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2025

The identity of the archer, or archers, remains unknown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2025

The 250 yards is a typical distance for castle-bashing, since the archers defending such strongholds struggled to hit targets much beyond that distance.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025

Another enemy warrior shot flaming arrows into the trees, sending our archers and dryads into a panic.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

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