Showing results for "armed"

• past participle of arm.
• past tense form of arm.

armed

¹ American  

[ahrmd] / ɑrmd /

adjective

1. having a specified number or kind of arms (often used in combination): a weak-armed quarterback.

   a four-armed Hindu god;

   a weak-armed quarterback.

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armed ² American  

[ahrmd] / ɑrmd /

adjective

1. bearing firearms; having weapons.

   a heavily armed patrol.

2. maintained by arms.

   armed peace.

3. involving the use of weapons.

   armed conflict.

4. equipped.

   The students came armed with their pocket calculators.

5. (especially of an animal) covered protectively, as by a shell.

6. fortified; made secure.

   Armed by an inveterate optimism, he withstood despair.

7. (of an artillery shell, bomb, missile, etc.) having the fuze made operative.

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armed ¹ British  

/ ɑːmd /

adjective

1. equipped with or supported by arms, armour, etc

2. prepared for conflict or any difficulty

3. (of an explosive device) prepared for use; having a fuse or detonator installed

4. (of plants) having the protection of thorns, spines, etc

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armed ² British  

/ ɑːmd /

adjective

1. 1. having an arm or arms

   2. ( in combination )

      long-armed

      one-armed

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Other Word Forms

• half-armed
  adjective
• well-armed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of armed¹

First recorded in 1500–10; arm ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ³ ( def. )

Origin of armed²

First recorded in 1250–1300; arm ², + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If you're armed, you are carrying some kind of weapon. Armed soldiers are most commonly supplied with guns. In the United States, police officers are almost always armed, while British police usually don't carry guns. When a crime involves the use of a weapon, it might be described as an armed robbery, and even an animal is sometimes said to be armed: "The cat was armed with sharp teeth and claws against the puppy's enthusiasm." The Latin root is arma, "weapons," or "tools of war."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

armed

Quantum Systems, established in 2015, supplies drones to the Ukrainian armed forces as well as other militaries worldwide and has expanded into new areas of unmanned systems, including on land and at sea.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

Korostelov said Ukraine’s armed forces deserve much of the credit for recent successes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Indeed, it seems more than possible that the stereotypical Canadian “niceness” is a consequence of living next door to an armed and dangerous neighbor.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

The pair have denied the allegations, dismissing claims of an armed insurgency as fabricated.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Two German sailors, who were armed with light submachine guns and carbines, were with them.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• equipped
• loaded
• outfitted
• supplied