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

Iran’s supreme leader serves as the country’s head of state, commander in chief of the armed forces and the highest authority in its political and religious system.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Hertling would return to the Middle East repeatedly over the course of the terror wars, living firsthand the “pendulum swing between expeditionary and enduring” that would dog the U.S. armed forces across two decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mojtaba Khamenei will be the Islamic Republic’s top political authority, head of its armed forces and judiciary, and the highest authority in Shia Islam.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Islamic republic's third supreme leader also received endorsements from President Masoud Pezeshkian, the armed forces and the judiciary within hours of his appointment.

From Barron's

An 88-member council known as the Assembly of Experts picked Khamenei as the Islamic Republic’s top political authority, head of the country’s armed forces and judiciary, and the highest authority in Shia Islam.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• military
• troops