Armada

American  

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

noun

1. Also called Invincible Armada.  Also called 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

Example Sentences

That's what lies behind an armada of allies now seeking to persuade, flatter, force him – to change his mind.

From BBC

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

From Los Angeles Times

Russia, Iran and Venezuela have amassed an armada of aging tankers to move barrels around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal

The clandestine ship-to-ship transfer, visible via satellite and other shipping data, is a maneuver typical of the shadow fleet, an armada of aging tankers that crisscross the world, smuggling illicit oil for sanctioned nations including Venezuela, Russia and Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal

Miller, too, believes the armada stationed off the Venezuelan coast will keep the country’s residents in line.

From Salon

Related Words

• fleet
• flotilla
• squadron