1
: not armed or armored
unarmed civilians
also
: not using or involving a weapon
unarmed robbery
2
: having no hard and sharp projections (such as spines, spurs, or claws)
Examples of unarmed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Bartneck’s study, participants were quicker to shoot armed Black targets than armed white ones and quicker to withhold fire from unarmed white targets compared with unarmed Black ones.
—
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
Her administration also spearheaded sending mental health teams or other unarmed responders to emergency calls that were once fielded by police.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The report determined that Santa Clara police Officer Robert Allsup lawfully shot 32-year-old Nizamuddin Mohammed, who was in the midst of stabbing his unarmed roommate — likely saving the roommate’s life, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The prosecution, however, highlighted that Owens was unarmed and that Lorincz’s door was locked.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unarmed
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
Her administration also spearheaded sending mental health teams or other unarmed responders to emergency calls that were once fielded by police.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The report determined that Santa Clara police Officer Robert Allsup lawfully shot 32-year-old Nizamuddin Mohammed, who was in the midst of stabbing his unarmed roommate — likely saving the roommate’s life, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The prosecution, however, highlighted that Owens was unarmed and that Lorincz’s door was locked.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unarmed
Cite this Entry
“Unarmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unarmed. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unarmed
adjective
un·armed
ˌən-ˈärmd 
ˈən-
: not armed or armored
unarmed civilians
also
: not using or involving a weapon
unarmed robbery
Medical Definition
unarmed
adjective
un·armed
ˌən-ˈärmd
: having no arms or armlike projections
an unarmed tapeworm
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
