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

Morocco's armed forces confirmed they were part of the search in a post on Facebook.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

The relevant piece of US law, the decades-old War Powers Resolution, makes certain requirements of a president "within sixty calendar days" of their use of US armed forces in combat.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

The relevant piece of US law, the decades-old War Powers Resolution, makes certain requirements of a president "within sixty calendar days" of their use of US armed forces within a combat.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

“Legitimately it’s one country—it belongs to us,” says Commandant Premanand Budhoo, commander of the Mauritian government’s paramilitary unit, which functions as the country’s armed forces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Some knew a little bit about the armed forces from having served in World War One.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Related Words

• military
• troops