armament

noun

ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt 

also ˈärm-mənt

1

: a military or naval force

2

a

: the aggregate of a nation's military strength

b

: weapons, arms

3

: the process of preparing for war

Examples of armament in a Sentence

The country's armament will take years.

a small nation that is determined to have adequate armaments

Recent Examples on the Web

One spectacular sequence, a descent into caves, punishes you for using your stronger but louder armaments, like missiles, by summoning more enemies. —PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025

Originally slated to see active service in 2032, it will now be installed in the Navy's Type 45 frigates by 2027 as part of the ship's regular armament. —New Atlas, 30 Nov. 2025

Russia must decide whether to defend its refineries or its armaments plants. —Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2025

Washington has also provided advanced armaments, including F-35A stealth fighter jets, to Seoul. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from French armement "action of arming, equipping of an armed force" (from armer "to arm entry 2" + -ment -ment), reshaped after Latin armāmenta (neuter plural) "sailing gear of a ship, equipment, implements," from armāre "to arm entry 2, equip" + -menta, plural of -mentum -ment

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for armament

• disarmament
• rearmament

Kids Definition

armament

noun

ar·​ma·​ment ˈär-mə-mənt 

1

: the military strength and equipment of a nation

2

: a supply of war materials

3

: the process of preparing for war