Armada
Americannoun
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Also called Invincible Armada. Also called Spanish Armada. the fleet sent against England by Philip II of Spain in 1588. It was defeated by the English navy and later dispersed and wrecked by storms.
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(lowercase) any fleet of warships.
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(lowercase) a large group or force of vehicles, airplanes, etc..
an armada of transport trucks.
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Armada
1525–35; < Spanish < Latin armāta armed forces, neuter plural of armātus (past participle of armāre to equip with arms). See arm 2, -ate 1
Explanation
If an armada is looking for you, that's not good news — it's a fleet of warships. Even though armada sounds a little old-fashioned, they still exist. In fact, some armadas look for pirates — another old-fashioned-sounding group that still exists. Though an armada is part of a navy, armada sounds similar to "army,", and it should: they both come ultimately from the same source, the Latin word armata, "armed." Armies and navies are two of the oldest branches of a military power, and an armada is a military fleet — another word for a group of boats or ships.
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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.
The Barracuda, later renamed the Riptide, in 1995-96, the Breakers in 2001-02 and the Armada in 2005-09.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026
It prefers companies benefiting from a stronger ringgit as well as exposure to data centers and energy–naming Malayan Banking, Tenaga Nasional and Bumi Armada as among its top picks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
Speaking to Mixmag, she said listening to Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada had inspired "the size of the music".
From BBC • May 4, 2025
Its new U.S. models include the Armada and Murano SUVs, and the Infiniti QX80 luxury model.
From Seattle Times • May 9, 2024
It was close to dawn when they first saw the Armada.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
