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 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

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 in combat.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

“Legitimately it’s one country—it belongs to us,” says Commandant Premanand Budhoo, commander of the Mauritian government’s paramilitary unit, which functions as the country’s armed forces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

The Tuareg FLA said in a Facebook statement: "The city of Kidal has come under the control of our armed forces."

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

And to hinder Germany from starting another war, the treaty reduced their armed forces, which caused more jobs to be lost.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• military
• troops