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• Armada
  Armada

  noun

  the fleet sent against England by Philip II of Spain in 1588. It was defeated by the English navy and later dispersed and wrecked by storms.
• armada
  armada

  noun

  a large number of ships or aircraft

Armada

American  

[ahr-mah-duh, -may-] / ɑrˈmɑ də, -ˈmeɪ- /

noun

1. Also called Invincible Armada, Spanish Armada. the fleet sent against England by Philip II of Spain in 1588. It was defeated by the English navy and later dispersed and wrecked by storms.

2. (lowercase) any fleet of warships.

3. (lowercase) a large group or force of vehicles, airplanes, etc..

   an armada of transport trucks.

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Armada ¹ British  

/ ɑːˈmɑːdə /

noun

1. See Spanish Armada

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armada ² British  

/ ɑːˈmɑːdə /

noun

1. a large number of ships or aircraft

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Etymology

Origin of Armada

1525–35; < Spanish < Latin armāta armed forces, neuter plural of armātus (past participle of armāre to equip with arms). See arm ², -ate ¹

Explanation

If an armada is looking for you, that's not good news — it's a fleet of warships. Even though armada sounds a little old-fashioned, they still exist. In fact, some armadas look for pirates — another old-fashioned-sounding group that still exists. Though an armada is part of a navy, armada sounds similar to "army,", and it should: they both come ultimately from the same source, the Latin word armata, "armed." Armies and navies are two of the oldest branches of a military power, and an armada is a military fleet — another word for a group of boats or ships.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Armada armada

Bumi Armada shares are 1.4% lower at 0.35 ringgit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The two companies are complementary in terms of geography, with Jasa Armada Indonesia in west Indonesia and Pelindo Marine Service across central-eastern Indonesia, which limits overlap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

The Barracuda, later renamed the Riptide, in 1995-96, the Breakers in 2001-02 and the Armada in 2005-09.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

Elba's agent said there was, "no record of Idris doing anything for this man" and Groove Armada and Whigfield said they were never booked.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025

Within minutes, the Armada had begun to split, with only the Prince’s giant ship sailing alone closest to the coastline, looking for a landing possibility.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

An armada of monster-pirates, the Kakamora — think coconut-flavored Gremlins — are a hectic horde with nice textures when the camera holds on them for longer than two seconds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

With Rhaenyra’s dragons on their side, the Velaryon armada should have the upper hand.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

Old and rusting tankers like these form what maritime experts call the “shadow fleet,” a roving armada of hundreds of vessels that ferry oil for sanctioned regimes, including Iran and Russia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

President Donald Trump deployed what he described as an "armada" to the Middle East - marking the largest US military build-up in the region since the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

We woke up later and arranged an armada of pillows so that we could sit comfortably against the edge of the bed and played Counterinsurgence 2: The Price of Dawn.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Related Words

• fleet
• flotilla
• squadron