coat of arms

noun phrase

1

: a tabard or surcoat embroidered with armorial bearings

2

a

: heraldic bearings (as of a person) usually depicted on an escutcheon often with accompanying adjuncts (such as a crest, motto, and supporters)

b

: a similar symbolic emblem

Examples of coat of arms in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then comes the multi-course banquet at St George’s Hall, complete with toasts and speeches, beneath a ceiling decorated with the coats of arms of every single Knight of the Garter since the order was founded in the 14th century. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025

In later centuries, Barbary lions were gifted between royal courts, kept in menageries, and even depicted on national emblems — as in the coat of arms of Morocco and the United Kingdom. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

The lawn of the Magnolia Garden is decorated with the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI designed in the foliage. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025

To make a subtlety, sugar and ground almonds were mixed with oils and vegetable gum to create a paste that was then shaped into different forms: animals, buildings, coats of arms. —Literary Hub, 29 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cote of armes, translation of Middle French cote d'armes

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coat of arms

• firearms
• alarms
• disarms
• forearms
• gendarmes
• charms
• farms
• harms

Kids Definition

coat of arms

: the heraldic arms belonging to a person, family, or group or a representation of these (as on a shield)