Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

arsenal

noun ar·se·nal \ ˈärs-nəl , ˈär-sə- \
|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018
1 a : an establishment for the manufacture or storage of arms and military equipment
  • The city is home to a federal arsenal.
b : a collection of weapons
2 : store, repertoire
  • the team's arsenal of veteran players

See arsenal defined for English-language learners

See arsenal defined for kids

Examples of arsenal in a Sentence

  1. The city is home to a federal arsenal.

  2. Doctors have a broad arsenal of medicines to choose from.

  3. the team's arsenal of veteran players

Recent Examples of arsenal from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arsenal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arsenal

Italian arsenale, ultimately from Arabic dār ṣināʽa house of manufacture

arsenal Synonyms

Synonyms

armory, depot, dump, magazine;

Related Words

fort, fortress, stronghold;

repository, storehouse, warehouse;

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

ARSENAL Defined for English Language Learners

arsenal

noun

  • : a collection of weapons

  • : a place where weapons are made or stored

  • : a group of things or people that are available to be used

ARSENAL Defined for Kids

arsenal

noun ar·se·nal \ ˈärs-nəl , ˈär-sə- \
: a place where military equipment is made and stored

Learn More about arsenal

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for arsenal Spanish Central: Translation of arsenal Nglish: Translation of arsenal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of arsenal for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

paste

play

to beat or defeat soundly

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. exculpatory 'tending or serving to exculpate'

  2. ideologue 'an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology'

  3. socialism 'a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government'

  4. uphold 'to let stand'

  5. due process 'a course of formal proceedings (as judicial proceedings)'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

arsenal

Test Your Vocabulary

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

  • test-your-emoji-exceptionalism-written-with-a-lot-of-emoji
  • What is this emoji intended to represent: 🤳
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games