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

Supporters had hoped the freezing of the conflict since 2022 had allowed anti-Houthi forces to regroup, rearm, and emerge as a different fighting force than that which struggled to combat the group during the civil war from 2014-22. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026

Defense manufacturers face a similar surge as governments respond to geopolitical risks, increase defense spending, modernize military capabilities, rearm across Europe and expand procurement in Asia. — Naveen Poonian, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

The invite stoked outcry in Europe, where governments have been rearming since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

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