armed forces

plural noun

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

called also armed services

Synonyms of armed forces

• troops
• soldiers

Examples of armed forces in a Sentence

our nation's armed forces are stationed throughout the world

Recent Examples on the Web

The two senior military officials are Lieutenant General Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, head of the military court, and Lieutenant General Bakumi Likulia, auditor general of the armed forces. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026

Saudi armed forces intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis at the cities of Yanbu and Taif, a military spokesperson said. — Spencer Kimball,justina Lee, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Of those cases, 89% were attributed to the Russian side, including members of the armed forces, prison service and security agencies, while 11% were linked to Ukraine, including members of the Ukrainian armed forces. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

More than 8,000 Wolf-spec Land Rovers served with the British Army at the fleet’s peak, while allied armed forces have also operated the vehicle. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for armed forces

• reinforces
• watercourses
• courses
• horses
• sources
• discourses
• divorces
• endorses
• enforces
• indorses
• racehorses
• workforces

Kids Definition

armed forces

plural noun

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