armada

noun

ar·​ma·​da är-ˈmä-də  -ˈmā- 

 also  -ˈma-

1

: a fleet of warships

2

: a large force or group usually of moving things

Did you know?

A Spanish word that originally meant simply "armed", armada is now used in Spanish-speaking nations as the name of their national navies. In English, the word usually has historical overtones. The Great Armada of 1588 was a 120-ship fleet sent by Philip II of Spain in an attempt to invade Elizabethan England; it was defeated when British forces lit eight ships afire and sent them sailing into the Armada's midst, then blocked the passage to the south so that the remaining ships were forced to sail northward around Britain in order to return home, causing dozens more ships to be wrecked in the stormy northern seas. Today we sometimes use the word humorously for fleets of fishing boats, rowboats, or canoes.

Synonyms

• fleet
• convoy

Examples of armada in a Sentence

an armada of fishing boats

an armada of ships sailing up the coast

Recent Examples on the Web

Dusk has just destroyed the political center of the Empire in the Galactic Council, the seat of the largest religion in the Empire, and also the entirety of Cloud Dominion, which had a massive armada and significant political influence. —Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

Joining him for the indie-pop odyssey is an armada of guests: Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar, Mustafa, Turnstile’s Brendan Yates, Ian Isiah, Tirzah, Amandla Stenberg, and Zadie Smith, among others. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Aug. 2025

Laying claim to more than 800 acres teeming with apple orchards, gardens both botanical and medieval, 500 British white cattle, 400 sheep, about 80 red deer and an armada of great crested newts — the Newt has more than a few. —Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Those are just some of the strategies Chinese scientists have been developing to counter what Beijing sees as a potent threat: Elon Musk’s armada of Starlink communications satellites. —Erika Kinetz, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, "military force, fleet of warships," from armar "to arm, equip" (going back to Latin armāre) + -ada, suffix of action or result (going back to Vulgar Latin *-āta, noun derivative from feminine of Latin -ātus, past participle ending of Latin first-conjugation verbs) — more at arm entry 2

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for armada

• entrada
• espada
• hamada
• jornada
• kannada
• posada
• quebrada
• ramada
• sagrada
• arthropoda
• intifada
• theravada

Kids Definition

armada

noun

ar·​ma·​da är-ˈmäd-ə  -ˈmād- 

1

: a large fleet of warships

2

: a large force or group of usually moving things

an armada of fishing boats

Etymology

from Spanish armada "fleet," derived from Latin arma "weapons"