arsenal

American  

[ahr-suh-nl, ahrs-nuhl] / ˈɑr sə nl, ˈɑrs nəl /

noun

• arsenals
  plural

1. a place of storage or a magazine containing arms and military equipment for land or naval service.

2. a government establishment where military equipment or munitions are manufactured.

3. a collection or supply of weapons or munitions.

4. a collection or supply of anything; store.

   He came to the meeting with an impressive arsenal of new research data.

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arsenal British  

/ ˈɑːsənəl /

noun

1. a store for arms, ammunition, and other military items

2. a workshop or factory that produces munitions

3. a store of anything regarded as weapons

   an arsenal of destructive arguments

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• arsenals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of arsenal

1500–10; (< Middle French ) < Italian arzanale < Upper Italian ( Venetian ) arzanà dockyard < Arabic dār ṣināʿah workshop (literally, house of handwork); initial d probably taken as a form of the preposition di from

Explanation

An arsenal is a storehouse for weapons. It wouldn't be wise to let your enemies get a hold of the keys to your arsenal. Not just a place to store weapons, an arsenal can be a place to make weapons or it can mean the collection of weapons themselves: "The air force had just added two top-secret fighter planes to its arsenal." In a more general sense, the word can be a collection of anything used as a weapon, not just military weapons: "She had a whole arsenal of witty comebacks for the lame pickup-lines guys tried out on her."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arsenal arsenals

"We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the US military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The episode was a preview of the trade-offs now shaping the post-Iran debate over the wider arsenal.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the war succeeded in destroying Iran’s missile arsenal and production, sinking its navy, weakening its militia allies and ensuring it won’t possess a nuclear weapon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

But they are also less disposable than other weapons, among the costliest in Iran’s arsenal to produce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Ainsley’s at the mirrors, touching up her makeup—packing her arsenal of cosmetics into a designer tote bag.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Fantasy franchises are potent weapons in streaming’s race to build content arsenals.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

The attacks hit Russian naval arsenals and a naval base in Kronstadt, causing infrastructure damage and injuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Ukraine's president said his forces hit Russia's arsenals and a naval base in what he called a just response to Russian attacks.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

He cited depleted arsenals because of the wars in Iran and Ukraine as the reason.

From Barron's ● May 3, 2026

From French arsenals and other sources Beaumarchais got more than 200 cannon, 25,000 guns, 200,000 pounds of powder, about 20 brass mortars, and shoes, clothing, and tents for 25,000 men.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen