Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

armour

1 American  
[ahr-mer] / ˈɑr mər /

noun

Chiefly British.
  1. armor.


Armour 2 American  
[ahr-mer] / ˈɑr mər /

noun

  1. Philip Danforth 1832–1901, U.S. meat-packing industrialist.


armour British  
/ ˈɑːmə /

noun

  1. any defensive covering, esp that of metal, chain mail, etc, worn by medieval warriors to prevent injury to the body in battle

  2. the protective metal plates on a tank, warship, etc

  3. military armoured fighting vehicles in general; military units equipped with these

  4. any protective covering, such as the shell of certain animals

  5. nautical the watertight suit of a diver

  6. engineering permanent protection for an underwater structure

  7. heraldic insignia; arms

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to equip or cover with armour

"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

Usage

See -our.

Etymology

Origin of armour

C13: from Old French armure, from Latin armātūra armour, equipment

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.

Both Héctor and Julio were wearing body armour, 14kg of Kevlar and armour plate.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

Some teenagers have grown a kind of emotional armour.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

"I had a lot of armour and it wasn't easily pierced," she says.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced 10,000 more prison officers will be given body armour in a bid to improve safety in jails after several high-profile attacks.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2025

Then, in an alcove fanned by the harness-baiTeb, there was a set of shelves which formed the dispensary far side armour.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White