armed

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ˈärmd 

1

a

: furnished with weapons

an armed guard

also : using or involving a weapon

b

: furnished with something that provides security, strength, or efficacy

armed with knowledge

2

: marked by the maintenance of armed forces in readiness

armed

2 of 2

adjective (2)

: having an arm or arms especially of a specified kind or number

—usually used in combination

long-armed

two-armed

Examples of armed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Frequent population movements linked to mining and people fleeing armed conflict add another complication, as people can move before surveillance teams are able to follow up with them. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Niger has long faced attacks from armed groups including jihadis linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. — CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026

Two armed men stole the works on December 7 from the Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo during public hours at the city’s largest library. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

China may be preparing a more heavily armed version of its Type 054B frigate, potentially giving the warship 50 percent more missile launch capacity than the first ships in the class. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English, from past participle of armen "to arm entry 2"

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective (2)

1500, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing armed

• armed and dangerous
• armed forces
• armed robbery
• armed to the teeth
• heavily armed
• one-armed bandit

Rhymes for armed

• alarmed
• disarmed
• unarmed
• unharmed
• charmed
• farmed
• harmed

Kids Definition

armed

adjective

1

: furnished with weapons

an armed guard

2

: furnished with something that provides security or strength

armed with knowledge

Medical Definition

armed

adjective

ˈärmd 

1

: having an arm or arms especially of a specified kind or number

—usually used in combination

long-armed

two-armed

2

: having a spiny rostellum

a tapeworm armed with numerous hammer-shaped hooks

Legal Definition

armed

adjective

ˈärmd 

1

: having a weapon

an armed assailant

2

: involving the use of a weapon

an armed attack