army
Americannoun
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armies
plural
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the military forces of a nation, exclusive of the navy and in some countries the air force.
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(in large military land forces) a unit consisting typically of two or more corps and a headquarters.
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a large body of persons trained and armed for war.
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any body of persons organized for any purpose.
an army of census takers.
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a very large number or group of something; a great multitude; a host.
the army of the unemployed.
noun
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the military land forces of a nation
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a military unit usually consisting of two or more corps with supporting arms and services
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(modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of an army
army rations
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any large body of people united for some specific purpose
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a large number of people, animals, etc; multitude
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of army
1350–1400; Middle English armee < Middle French < Latin armāta. Cf. Armada
Explanation
An army is an organized group of fighters, especially a country's official military force. When a country goes to war, it sends an army to fight. An army is typically defined as fighting on land, while a navy battles at sea, and some countries make this even more clear by distinguishing their "Land Army" from their "Air Army." The 14th century meaning of army was "armed expedition," from the Old French armée and the Latin root armata, "armed, equipped, or in arms."
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.
See Examples For:
Once the market began to fall, the army of what are called “ants” began to suffer margin calls and were forced to liquidate exposure.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Gadi Eisenkot, the former army chief who is Netanyahu's top rival in the election, praised the response by troops.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
At the same time, however, he hears stories of men paying bribes to avoid army service and later escape the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
On Dec. 23, the Justices adopted a celebrated Georgetown scholar’s academic reading of the statute, saying it only allowed the president to commandeer national guard troops if the situation had already outmatched the standing army.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The army had wanted to make sure I could remember complicated instructions, in English and in French, while translating information crucial to the war.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Most lie in areas contested by ethnic insurgent armies.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Russia’s enormous size once helped it defend against the invading armies of Hitler and Napoleon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
If these richest Americans on average have trouble consistently beating the S&P 500, given the armies of high-paid investment professionals helping to manage their finances, what makes you think you can do any better?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Campbell’s acquired Rao’s, and there are armies of people online who remain convinced that something must have changed, despite Rao’s FAQ explicitly assuring worried customers that the company won’t “touch the sauce.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
It was not just science that made this new world, it was also the state, which was busy taxing citizens, borrowing money and putting armies in the field.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
