take up arms

idiom

: to pick up weapons and become ready to fight
They took up arms to defend their city.
The rebels are taking up arms against their own government.

Examples of take up arms in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The move comes two days after Abiy urges citizens to take up arms to defend themselves against TPLF. CNN, 11 Nov. 2022 Pawnee Scouts, who frequently had to take up arms against other indigenous people. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2022 Huynh did take up arms, according to his fiancee’s family, in addition to training Ukrainian troops and bringing in medical supplies. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 12 July 2022 So long as Americans do not take up arms for a violent group that opposes the U.S. government, there are few restrictions. Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for take up arms 

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

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Cite this Entry

“Take up arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20up%20arms. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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