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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Huntress
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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.
We originally wanted to practice our archery skills, but because we’d waited until after noon, the line was long every time we checked.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
They rehearsed martial arts in gentlemanly competitions of archery or horsemanship and recycled past heroics as entertainment in innumerable new stage dramas, literature, paintings and prints.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
Dozens of other competitions took place in the build-up to the fishing challenge on the fourth day, including archery.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
Dre in a lot of ways—self-taught, can play a trumpet, might qualify for the Olympics in archery, can play a piano—self-taught.
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2025
He conducted her to the lower bailey, where a crowd had gathered around the archery butts.
From "A Clash of Kings" 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.
