SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

armed to the teeth

Definition of armed to the teeth

: carrying many weapons The police were armed to the teeth.

Word by Word Definitions

: furnished with weapons
: using or involving a weapon
: furnished with something that provides security, strength, or efficacy

See the full definition of armed

teeth

: plural oftooth

See the full definition of teeth

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up armed to the teeth? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

inhere

play

to be a fixed element or attribute

Words at Play

alt-597a2ef226ea8

Are You Craving 'Ice Tea' or 'Iced Tea'?

When tea is cold and refreshing, is it 'ice tea' or 'iced tea'?

9 Surprising Word Histories of Computer Terms

People have been blogging since the 18th century.

alt-597a00ef4b9d7

'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

alt-5978b44edfb13

Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

alt-597a99e699d07

July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Test your knowledge.

Take the quiz

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game