arsenal

American  

[ahr-suh-nl, ahrs-nuhl] / ˈɑr sə nl, ˈɑrs nəl /

noun

1. a place of storage or a magazine containing arms and military equipment for land or naval service.

2. a government establishment where military equipment or munitions are manufactured.

3. a collection or supply of weapons or munitions.

4. a collection or supply of anything; store.

   He came to the meeting with an impressive arsenal of new research data.

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arsenal British  

/ ˈɑːsənəl /

noun

1. a store for arms, ammunition, and other military items

2. a workshop or factory that produces munitions

3. a store of anything regarded as weapons

   an arsenal of destructive arguments

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Etymology

Origin of arsenal

1500–10; (< Middle French ) < Italian arzanale < Upper Italian ( Venetian ) arzanà dockyard < Arabic dār ṣināʿah workshop (literally, house of handwork); initial d probably taken as a form of the preposition di from

Explanation

An arsenal is a storehouse for weapons. It wouldn't be wise to let your enemies get a hold of the keys to your arsenal. Not just a place to store weapons, an arsenal can be a place to make weapons or it can mean the collection of weapons themselves: "The air force had just added two top-secret fighter planes to its arsenal." In a more general sense, the word can be a collection of anything used as a weapon, not just military weapons: "She had a whole arsenal of witty comebacks for the lame pickup-lines guys tried out on her."

Example Sentences

At that point, the Dodgers decided he didn’t have the arsenal or attitude to be a starter, so they moved him to the bullpen.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

In the case of missile and drone stocks this claim has been disputed via leaked intelligence assessments suggesting Iran in fact maintains about half of its pre-war arsenal.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

“I’m going to use every tool in my arsenal to respond,” Sharp said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

"These agreements are part of our arsenal," Sapir, of the Bruegel think tank, added.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

He was smiling, exhilarated, liberated and meanly enjoying a weapon he did not know lay in his arsenal.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy