armed forces

American  

plural noun

1. military, naval, and air forces, especially of a nation or of a number of nations.

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armed forces British  

plural noun

1. the military forces of a nation or nations, including the army, navy, air force, marines, etc

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Etymology

Origin of armed forces

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

The French Army told the BBC its armed forces are "constantly adapting their posture in response to threats" and are deploying all air and maritime assets in the area.

From BBC

The development of more potent submarines would boost Beijing’s bid to forge a world-class oceangoing navy, a key element in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s ambitious campaign to modernize the armed forces.

From The Wall Street Journal

As well as conventional armed forces and well-armed police, there is the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, with an explicit mandate to protect the regime at home and abroad.

From BBC

“The idea is to close the gap that all Western armed forces have right now because they see that they are behind in the drone technology,” said Lehna, who is a former German military officer.

From The Wall Street Journal

The commander of Iran’s army said in January that the armed forces received a new shipment of 1,000 drones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• military
• troops