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Showing results for armed forces. Search instead for The armed forces.
Synonyms

armed forces

American  

plural noun

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

armed forces British  

plural noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of armed forces

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A Chinese military court issued suspended death sentences to two former defense ministers for corruption, punctuating a broad purge of China’s armed forces that has ousted most of the high command.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The relevant piece of US law, the decades-old War Powers Resolution, makes certain requirements of a president "within sixty calendar days" of their use of US armed forces within a combat.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

In its statement late on Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry said this year's parade would include representatives of all branches of Russia's armed forces and a colourful fly-past.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Navy Sea Chanters and 500 members of the U.S. armed forces marching on the White House lawn in the light rain, which Trump joked was very British weather.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

As President Lincoln had hoped, Garfield energetically supported the armed forces in the Union's efforts to end the Civil War.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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.