archer
noun
a person who shoots with a bow and arrow; bowman.
archer
1 American
[ahr-cher]
/ ˈɑr tʃər /
noun
-
archers
plural
-
a person who shoots with a bow and arrow; bowman.
-
Astronomy, Astrology. Archer, the constellation or sign of Sagittarius.
-
an archerfish.
Archer
2
American
[ahr-cher]
/ ˈɑr tʃər /
noun
-
William, 1856–1924, Scottish playwright, drama critic, and translator.
-
a first name.
Archer
1
British
/ ˈɑːtʃə /
noun
-
Frederick Scott. 1813–57, British inventor and sculptor. He developed (1851) the wet collodion photographic process, enabling multiple copies of pictures to be made
-
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
-
William. 1856–1924, Scottish critic and dramatist: made the first English translations of Ibsen
Archer
2
British
/ ˈɑːtʃə /
noun
archer
3
British
/ ˈɑːtʃə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing archer
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:
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
In 2012 he became the first armless archer to qualify for the Paralympics and burst onto the international scene with a silver medal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2024
As the only female American archer in her Paralympic category, she had to meet a minimum score – shooting 72 arrows, she needed 520 points from 720.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2024
There was more like that, so much more, what a handsome man the khal was, so tall and fierce, fearless in battle, the best rider ever to mount a horse, a demon archer.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Archer Aviation stock surges after announcing it’s acquiring several of Boeing’s subsidiaries.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Archer Aviation’s stock is flying higher after the company agreed to buy three business units from Boeing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Boeing agreed to take a minority stake in Archer Aviation in exchange for handing Archer control of three of the aerospace company’s units, including its flying-taxi venture Wisk Aero.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“This is a watershed moment for Archer and the future of physical AI in aerospace and defense,” Archer’s founder and chief executive, Adam Goldstein, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Sefia ran her hands along the edges of the book, fingering the leaves that protruded from the pages, until she found the soft blade of the feather Archer had given her.
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
The researchers draw parallels to human military history, where heavily armored knights were eventually replaced by specialized soldiers such as archers and crossbowmen.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 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
Their match marked the first time two such archers faced each other at the Paralympics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2024
Now the archers released another wave, and the driver of the red car didn’t have time to back up.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
