archery
Americannoun
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the art, practice, or skill of an archer.
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archers collectively, as in an army.
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the equipment of an archer, as bows and arrows.
noun
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the art or sport of shooting with bows and arrows
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archers or their weapons collectively
Etymology
Origin of archery
1350–1400; Middle English archerye < Middle French archerie, equivalent to arch ( i ) er archer + -ie -y 3
Explanation
If you like to shoot arrows at a target with a bow, you're a fan of archery. Athletes who compete in archery are called archers. If you decide to try archery, you'll need a bow and some arrows, and ideally a target. These days, archery is mainly a hobby or a sport, but archery was originally a way for people to hunt for food or defend themselves from enemies. In Anglo-French, the word is archerye, from the Latin root arcus, or "bow."
Vocabulary lists containing archery
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 19–July 25, 2026
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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.
At Camp Golden Eagle, in Woodruff, Wis., all the usual activities were ours: baseball, archery, canoeing, swimming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
"Members of the royal family, especially the women, were active participants in skilled, physically demanding activities such as archery and hunting," said Dr. Zeinab Hashesh, lead author of the article in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Comparable skeletal evidence also suggests that Princess Noub-Hotep and King Hor practiced archery.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
While the Olympics have recently added skateboarding, surfing and breakdancing, the Commonwealths - with India having a big say - look set to reintroduce cricket, shooting, archery and hockey.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
The racetrack had been built in a grassy field between the archery range and the woods.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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.
