arsenal
Americannoun
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a place of storage or a magazine containing arms and military equipment for land or naval service.
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a government establishment where military equipment or munitions are manufactured.
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a collection or supply of weapons or munitions.
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a collection or supply of anything; store.
He came to the meeting with an impressive arsenal of new research data.
noun
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a store for arms, ammunition, and other military items
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a workshop or factory that produces munitions
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a store of anything regarded as weapons
an arsenal of destructive arguments
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."
Vocabulary lists containing arsenal
Words from "The Avengers"
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The American Civil War
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English Words Derived from Arabic
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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.
With Saturday's showdown between Arsenal and holders Paris St-Germain on the horizon, we're looking at the most iconic individual Champions League final performances of all time.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
You can use our selector to choose which Arsenal players from the 2006 team would make it into the current squad.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
With Ben White injured, Arsenal fans will be hoping that Dutch defender Jurrien Timber can make it back from injury in time to play right-back against PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
At right-back, Ivorian Emmanuel Eboue was a cult figure at Arsenal under Wenger, making 214 appearances between 2005 - 2011.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Mary Surratt sits inside the old Arsenal Penitentiary in what will much later be the Army base named Fort Leslie J. McNair in south- central Washington, D.C., awaiting her fate.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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.
