small arm

noun

: a handheld firearm (such as a handgun or shoulder arm)

—usually plural

Synonyms of small arm

• firearm
• gun

Examples of small arm in a Sentence

the soldiers keep their small arms securely in their holsters when not on patrol

Recent Examples on the Web

Rahaf swings her prosthetics to the song, and at one point, wraps her small arms around Accurso’s neck — following the song’s instructions and pretending to be asleep. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Those roads and trails are often where vehicles become vulnerable to artillery, drones, mines, and small arms fire. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026

The roadmap speaks of the new administration empowering individual Palestinians to keep their small arms. — Dan Williams, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026

Firefly enables precision strikes, achieving 2-7 feet accuracy from high altitudes (600-2000+ feet), thereby reducing vulnerability to small arms fire and jamming. — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for small arm

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

Kids Definition

small arm

noun

: a firearm fired while held in the hands

—usually used in plural