as in firearm
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
the soldiers keep their small arms securely in their holsters when not on patrol
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small arm
Producer and colleague Monika Evstatieva and I were in that convoy, took small arms fire, but were unharmed.
—
Tom Bowman, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Alkhatib warned that Hamas may try to retain small arms to exert control over pockets of Gaza and seek to influence any technocratic governing structure meant to reconstruct the enclave and pave the way for self-governance.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag — each containing a plate capable of stopping small arms fire, according to prosecutors.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Two months later, the group launched more than two dozen attacks across northeastern Syria, relying on a combination of guerrilla tactics, including small arms fire, ambushes, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices targeting military checkpoints and government vehicles.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for small arm
Tom Bowman, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Alkhatib warned that Hamas may try to retain small arms to exert control over pockets of Gaza and seek to influence any technocratic governing structure meant to reconstruct the enclave and pave the way for self-governance.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag — each containing a plate capable of stopping small arms fire, according to prosecutors.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Two months later, the group launched more than two dozen attacks across northeastern Syria, relying on a combination of guerrilla tactics, including small arms fire, ambushes, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices targeting military checkpoints and government vehicles.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for small arm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arm
Noun
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Prosecutors accused the parents of allowing their son access to the firearm and ignoring warnings about his declining mental health and risk to others.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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Current owners can keep their firearms and sell them to dealers.—
Cindy Camp,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Law enforcement seized one gun during the arrests, and no search warrants were executed.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Investigators didn't find the parents' DNA on the gun after getting a court order to collect DNA samples from them, the sheriff's office said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arm. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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