rearm

verb

re·​arm (ˌ)rē-ˈärm 

rearmed; rearming; rearms

transitive verb

: to arm (a nation, a military force, etc.) again with new or better weapons

intransitive verb

: to become armed again

Examples of rearm in a Sentence

The treaty forbids the country to rearm.

Another country was rearming their enemies.

Recent Examples on the Web

That little beast has returned—and it's rearmed and ready to dominate performance charts. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Al-Zouba said the statements could be aimed at giving the Houthis time to rearm and prepare for further attacks, while consolidating control over ground on the Red Sea coast. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

At the same time, Europe is racing to rearm, with Germany leading the charge. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

But critics say the strategy failed, with some armed groups using ceasefires granted by the government to rearm, regroup and expand their control over rural communities. — Manuel Rueda, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for rearm

• arm
• charm
• farm
• harm
• alarm
• disarm
• forearm
• gendarme
• nonfarm
• firearm
• underarm

Kids Definition

rearm

verb

re·​arm (ˈ)rē-ˈärm 

: to arm again with new or better weapons

rearmament

-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun