disarmament
Americannoun
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the act or an instance of disarming.
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the reduction or limitation of the size, equipment, armament, etc., of the army, navy, or air force of a country.
noun
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the reduction of offensive or defensive fighting capability, as by a nation
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the act of disarming or state of being disarmed
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disarmament
Explanation
When a country reduces or eliminates its military weapons, or arms, it's called disarmament. Nuclear disarmament is the reduction of nuclear weapons around the world. After wars, countries often deal with disarmament, reducing the arms on both sides in a balanced way. Proponents of nuclear disarmament aim for the same thing, often with the ultimate goal being complete elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. Disarmament adds the "not" or "do the opposite of" prefix dis- to armament, from a Latin root meaning "furnish with weapons."
Vocabulary lists containing disarmament
World War II
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"Letter to Viceroy, Lord Irwin," Vocabulary from the argument
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myPerspectives 10.3
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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.
Regional mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey are currently said to be exerting heavy pressure on Hamas to move on disarmament.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Pyongyang and Washington haven’t held formal disarmament talks since 2019.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
But “the United States knows our red lines in terms of nuclear disarmament, proxies, ballistic missile production,” the Israeli official said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
The pact, brokered by the U.S. and France, required the creation of a buffer zone south of Lebanon’s Litani River and Hezbollah’s disarmament.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
Stassen leaped into his job with characteristic energy, declaring that he would assemble a supporting staff of “experienced men with brilliant analytical minds” to review American disarmament strategy from top to bottom.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
