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small arms

British  

plural noun

  1. portable firearms of relatively small calibre

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Majungasaurus, for example, had a heavily built skull and extremely small arms despite weighing only about 1.6 tons, roughly one fifth the weight of T. rex.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

The CIA has been supplying some Kurdish militias with small arms.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026

Israel is a world leader in surveillance technology, drones, small arms and other products of great use to a resource-strapped government that oversees a vast and largely uninhabited territory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

US officials said that the latest package included air defence, artillery and small arms ammunition, and anti-tank weapons.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2023

“Good morning, Auntie Xan,” Fyrian said, peeking out of the pocket and yawning, stretching his small arms out as wide as they would go.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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