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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

armed forces

"If they're going to launch these operations, they're going to have to be prepared to accept casualties of members of the armed forces," she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s armed forces had received appropriate orders, although he did not specify what those instructions entailed.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Horta N'Tam said the unit had been poorly organised under the previous administration but insisted none of its members had been expelled from the armed forces.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

U.S. law bars foreign armed forces from recruiting on American soil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Since good laws cannot exist where there are no good armies, and where good armies exist there must be good laws, I shall leave aside the arguments about laws and shall discuss the armed forces.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

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Related Words

• military
• troops

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