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:
The Pakistani army which would have provided the helicopters didn't respond to the BBC's questions.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Then an army of serfs and others marched on the king to demand basic rights, led by the canny ex-soldier Wat Tyler and the popular preacher John Ball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Access to Man Maw and information about its operations is highly restricted by the ethnic minority army which controls it in the eastern state of Wa, which borders China.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Driscoll wanted urgent modernisation by adding drones throughout ordinary army formations to make it adept for 21st Century warfare.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
He was wearing his army uniform and had a white bandage around his head.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Without the armies of aides, interns, and volunteers who answer phones in Capitol Hill offices, draft bills, and staff campaigns, lawmaking and reelection bids across the country would grind to a halt.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
The film, described as “Ocean’s Eleven” meets “Inglourious Basterds,” is based on Operation Fortitude, an effort during World War II in which double agents set a trap for Adolf Hitler and his armies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Its east rolls through vast steppes, easily crossed by centuries of invading armies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"I fought with your armies," he said, referring to the Western armies that battled the Taliban.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
They spoke of icebergs and of robots and of the armies of ocean animals who sunk the mighty Juggernaut.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
