call to arms
noun phrase
1
: a summons to engage in active hostilities
2
: a summons, invitation, or appeal to undertake a particular course of action
a political call to arms
Examples of call to arms in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The posts played out as a call to arms after OpenAI’s nonprofit board of directors fired Altman on Friday with little to no warning and vague reasoning.
—
Trey Williams, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2023
One of those, university student Jackie Pham, says the media should stop conflating calls for cease-fire with a call to arms against Jews.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2023
Pierce wrote arguably the most influential book of American white supremacist literature, a 1978 call to arms titled The Turner Diaries.
—Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2023
For Los Angeles’ Jewish security forces, the Israel attack was a call to arms.
—Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023
For opponents of meat eating, this loss of diversity is a call to arms.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
El Grito will commemorate Mexican Independence with a reenactment of the Cry of Dolores and bell ringing, which recognizes the call to arms on the eve of the Mexican War of Independence.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Most celebrations include the grito, a re-creation of Father Miguel Hidalgo’s call to arms.
—Norma Cavazos, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Now five years after his death turned into a call to arms for Democrats and Republicans who believed in U.S. engagement abroad, McCain’s traditional Republican views of national security face their most difficult fight against the isolationist views of former president Donald Trump.
—Paul Kane, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
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Trey Williams, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2023
One of those, university student Jackie Pham, says the media should stop conflating calls for cease-fire with a call to arms against Jews.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2023
Pierce wrote arguably the most influential book of American white supremacist literature, a 1978 call to arms titled The Turner Diaries.
—Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2023
For Los Angeles’ Jewish security forces, the Israel attack was a call to arms.
—Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023
For opponents of meat eating, this loss of diversity is a call to arms.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
El Grito will commemorate Mexican Independence with a reenactment of the Cry of Dolores and bell ringing, which recognizes the call to arms on the eve of the Mexican War of Independence.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Most celebrations include the grito, a re-creation of Father Miguel Hidalgo’s call to arms.
—Norma Cavazos, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Now five years after his death turned into a call to arms for Democrats and Republicans who believed in U.S. engagement abroad, McCain’s traditional Republican views of national security face their most difficult fight against the isolationist views of former president Donald Trump.
—Paul Kane, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'call to arms.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near call to arms
Cite this Entry
“Call to arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call%20to%20arms. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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