armed forces

plural noun

: the combined military, naval, and air forces of a nation

called also armed services

Examples of armed forces in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In other words, the fastest-growing group in Israeli society does not serve in its armed forces. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024 The country also expects to save an additional 14 billion kroner through efficiencies in the armed forces, which will be re-allocated to defense spending. Sanne Wass, Fortune Europe, 13 Mar. 2024 Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky established the Unmanned Systems Forces, a new part of the armed forces that, among other things, should improve the interaction of FPV units with one another. Yurii Shyvala, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Sudan’s foreign ministry, which is aligned with the armed forces, said that to make any ceasefire possible, the RSF would need to withdraw from areas including El Gezira and Sennar states and several cities in Darfur, the RSF’s stronghold. Reuters, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Israel has waged a brutal campaign in Gaza, only loosely upholding the protocols its armed forces are supposed to follow. Avner Gvaryahu, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2024 No members of the armed forces or the federal police had been involved. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Mexico is the dominant source of the illicit fentanyl trafficked into the United States, according to the U.S. government, and while the Mexican armed forces reported a substantial increase in drug seizures last year, synthetic opioids continue to flood across the border. Natalie Kitroeff Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Veteran human rights activist Oleg Orlov was sentenced Tuesday by a Moscow court to two and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of discrediting Russian’s armed forces in a trial that has been condemned by international observers as politically motivated. Reuters, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'armed forces.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of armed forces was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near armed forces

Cite this Entry

“Armed forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/armed%20forces. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

armed forces

noun plural
: the military, naval, and air forces of a nation

More from Merriam-Webster on armed forces

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