standing army
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of standing army
First recorded in 1595–1605
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.
Today the country has its smallest standing army since the Napoleonic wars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
That reading continued into the 1800s, when both Congress and the Supreme Court referred to the standing army as “regular forces.”
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2025
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has since announced a "standing army" of specialist police officers to tackle violent protests.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2024
About the founders: Historians will tell you that when the Constitution was adopted, America had no significant standing army.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
This host her son had assembled was not a standing army such as the Free Cities were accustomed to maintain, nor a force of guardsmen paid in coin.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
