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

---

Etymology

Origin of armed forces

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

This discrepancy is a testament to the much larger and better equipped armed forces that Thailand has.

From BBC

It was supposed to map out the spending needed to overhaul the armed forces, but will now be delayed to 2026.

From BBC

The approved weapons sales, announced in the U.S. late Wednesday, are intended to support Taipei’s efforts to “modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Western military support helped modernise the country's armed forces, but it now leads much of the world in developing unmanned systems – like robots and drones.

From BBC

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany dropped a long-standing pacifist tradition shaped by its dark World War II past and started ramping up spending to overhaul the armed forces.

From Barron's

Related Words

• military
• troops