armor
Americannoun
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any covering worn as a defense against weapons.
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a suit of armor.
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a metallic sheathing or protective covering, especially metal plates, used on warships, armored vehicles, airplanes, and fortifications.
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mechanized units of military forces, as armored divisions.
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Also called armament. any protective covering, as on certain animals, insects, or plants.
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any quality, characteristic, situation, or thing that serves as protection.
A chilling courtesy was his only armor.
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the outer, protective wrapping of metal, usually fine, braided steel wires, on a cable.
verb (used with object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has armoredperfect 3rd person singular
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have armoredperfect
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are armoringprogressive
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is armoringprogressive 3rd person singular
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am armoringprogressive 1st person singular
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has been armoringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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armorssingular 3rd person
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armoringparticiple
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have been armoringperfect progressive
Past
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had armoredperfect
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had been armoringperfect progressive
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armoredparticiple
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armoredsimple
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were armoringprogressive plural
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was armoringprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of armor
1250–1300; Middle English armo ( u ) r, armure < Anglo-French armour ( e ), armure Old French armëure < Latin armātūra armature; assimilated, in Middle English and Anglo-French, to nouns ending in -our -or 2
Explanation
The metal suit worn by knights as protection in battle is called armor. You can still see suits of armor in many museums today. These days, soldiers still use armor to protect them from bullets and other weapons, though it's not usually made of metal. Modern armor, like bullet-proof vests, is made of extremely strong, dense fabric, while 13th century armor was typically made of steel. In the 14th century, the word itself meant "defensive covering worn in combat" and "means of protection," from the Old French armeure, "weapons or armor," with its Latin root, arma, "arms or gear."
Vocabulary lists containing armor
"Culture Clash"
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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"On the Menu" and "Find the Adaptations"
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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.
Another image showed Trump looming over warships, dressed as a military commander clad in gold armor, as fighter jets flew overhead.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Otherwise, this is another hunt-and-retrieve narrative for the bounty hunter voiced by Pedro Pascal, physically embodied in armor by Brendan Wayne and, in combat, by fight choreographer Lateef Crowder.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
The human body is everywhere in painting, sculpture, tapestries and photography, implicit in the metalwork of jewelry and armor.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
A phalanx of guards with full armor and riot shields watched over proceedings.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
He knew that all knights in armor had a little bad luck now and then.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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.
