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Showing results for armed forces. Search instead for armed+forces.
Synonyms

armed forces

American  

plural noun

  1. military, naval, and air forces, especially of a nation or of a number of nations.

armed forces British  

plural noun

  1. the military forces of a nation or nations, including the army, navy, air force, marines, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of armed forces

First recorded in 1685–95

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.

In a post-coup period of emergency rule, Min Aung Hlaing served as both commander-in-chief of the armed forces and acting president, but to become permanent president he is constitutionally compelled to relinquish his military post.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Claim: “In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before.”

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026

Homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK in 1967 but a ban continued in the armed forces until 2000.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

A well-regarded battalion commander in Yemen’s armed forces, Ashaal, then 42, worked a sideline in real estate with a partner.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

“Do you mean that he is impersonating a member of the armed forces of this country?”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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.