archery
Americannoun
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the art, practice, or skill of an archer.
-
archers collectively, as in an army.
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the equipment of an archer, as bows and arrows.
noun
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the art or sport of shooting with bows and arrows
-
archers or their weapons collectively
Etymology
Origin of archery
1350–1400; Middle English archerye < Middle French archerie, equivalent to arch ( i ) er archer + -ie -y 3
Explanation
If you like to shoot arrows at a target with a bow, you're a fan of archery. Athletes who compete in archery are called archers. If you decide to try archery, you'll need a bow and some arrows, and ideally a target. These days, archery is mainly a hobby or a sport, but archery was originally a way for people to hunt for food or defend themselves from enemies. In Anglo-French, the word is archerye, from the Latin root arcus, or "bow."
Vocabulary lists containing archery
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 19–July 25, 2026
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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.
A new charity hopes to use activities ranging from cold-water swimming and archery to hill walking and breathwork to improve men's mental health and reduce isolation.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Wyatt Mosher was 13, a seventh-grader in northwest Michigan and an all-around athlete who competed in football, wrestling, basketball, track and archery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Comparable skeletal evidence also suggests that Princess Noub-Hotep and King Hor practiced archery.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
The Carson Zone Pavilion is an open-air setting near the archery, track cycling, hockey, rugby sevens and tennis venues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
A couple years ago she asked me to teach her archery, and you don’t say no to Vasya.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
