standing army

noun

: a permanent army of paid soldiers

Examples of standing army in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the years leading up to Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine, whose territory had been the major defensive line between the Soviets and the West during the Cold War, had abolished the draft, and its standing army had shrunk to tiny levels. Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2024 That equilibrium was unsettled by wars, producing standing armies that were funded by, and therefore loyal to, the generals rather than the Roman senate. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 Pitching Russian forces against one of the region’s biggest standing armies seemed uncharacteristically reckless and, therefore, unlikely. Matthew Chance, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 The Associated Press delved into how numerous former soldiers in Colombia, which maintains one of the largest standing armies in Latin America, have entered the international legion. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for standing army 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standing army.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of standing army was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near standing army

Cite this Entry

“Standing army.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standing%20army. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on standing army

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!