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 ministry also said that its forces overnight continued to strike Ukrainian ports and vessels delivering cargo for the armed forces. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026

Turkey has been supporting Syria’s effort to rebuild its armed forces by training Syrian personnel and supplying equipment and logistical support. — Andrew Wilks, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Furthermore, Iceland also does not have standing armed forces of its own. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 18 Aug. 2026

Bagherzadeh, who leads Iran’s armed forces’ missing persons search committee, earlier claimed that Qatar had held the three crew members for months after their planes were shot down early in the war. — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 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