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

Last month, Larijani traveled to Oman to prepare for indirect nuclear talks with the U.S., as Washington amassed an armada of warships and a fleet of aircraft in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

On any given day, an armada of some 80 tankers — laden with roughly 16 to 18 million barrels, or around a third of all oil transported by sea — traverses the waterway, delivering around 20% of the world’s crude and a large portion of its gas.

From Los Angeles Times

He could either exploit the armada as leverage to wrangle a diplomatic deal or pull the trigger.

From Slate

There had been no warnings or preparatory guidance from governments as the U.S. built up an armada offshore and diplomacy faltered.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Ford was sailing toward Israel, adding a second carrier to the armada of American naval and air power in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fleet
• flotilla
• squadron