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

How is Israel supposed to accept the continued existence of the Hamas ‘government’, a government sworn to Israel’s destruction, when a cease fire would be an opportunity to rearm and dig tunnels? —Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025

This marked the second time the Navy demonstrated rearming a warship at sea since October, when the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chosin conducted a similar operation with the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers off the coast of California. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025

Despite recent transatlantic tensions, there is greater urgency in Europe to rearm as the Russia threat looms over the entire continent, not just Ukraine. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 July 2025

Iran’s attempts to rearm Hezbollah have continued over the past year. —Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 19 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for rearm

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

Kids Definition

rearm

verb

re·​arm (ˈ)rē-ˈärm 

: to arm again with new or better weapons

rearmament

-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun