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.
(lowercase) any fleet of warships.
(lowercase) a large group or force of vehicles, airplanes, etc..
an armada of transport trucks.
1525–35; < Spanish < Latin armāta armed forces, neuter plural of armātus (past participle of armāre to equip with arms). See arm 2, -ate 1
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The brokerage initiates coverage of Jasa Armada Indonesia with a buy rating and a target price of 420.00 Indonesian rupiah.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 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
And US-based salvage company Sea Search Armada has taken Colombia to the UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration, seeking £7.8bn, over claims it first discovered the vessel more than 40 years ago.
From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024
"We'll go on unless the stage is under water, and even then they'd likely haul out boats and do The Spanish Armada."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
