small arm

noun

Usually small arms. a firearm designed to be held in one or both hands while being fired: in the U.S. the term is applied to weapons of a caliber of up to one inch (2.5 cm).

Origin of small arm

First recorded in 1680–90

Related formssmall-armed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for small arm

Historical Examples of small arm

Among soldiers and small-arm men, to quit the ranks of a company.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Not a native clinging to the sides escapes the small-arm men.
The Cruise of the Mary Rose
William H. G. Kingston
The small-arm of the infantry is the "3-line" rifle of the 1901 model.
Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights
Kelly Miller
Mr. Walker, with the doctor and supercargo, all capital shots, constituted the marines or small-arm men of the ship.
An Old Sailor's Yarns
Nathaniel Ames
This meant going out into the open to walk up against machine-gun fire and small-arm fire.
From Place to Place
Irvin S. Cobb