1
as in battalions
a large body of men and women organized for land warfare
In 218 b.c., Hannibal crossed the Alps with an army of 26,000 men and, most famously, a number of elephants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in swarms
a great number of persons or creatures massed together
a vast army of loyal fans in line for the band's farewell concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in teams
a group of people working together on a task
an army of rescue workers descended on the tornado-stricken town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of armies
That approach differs from rivals who typically rely heavily on armies of contractors from third-party firms for training and refining their AI models.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Angels appear to be fleeing in the foreground; in the background, armies clash in the shadow of a medieval castle.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Today's armies are logistical marvels, with each combat platoon representing the sharp tip of a very long supply spear.
—David Szondy
june 03, New Atlas, 3 June 2026
The momentum generated in Normandy would carry Allied armies into Germany.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
The warring factions of the silver-haired Targaryen clan, led by Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) on Team Black and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) on Team Green, are finally fully stocked with armies and fire-breathing weapons of mass destruction and ready to fight for the Iron Throne.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
The unexplained detonation of explosives stored by one of Myanmar’s rebel armies has killed dozens, the militia that controls the village and witnesses said Monday, as the search for survivors continued amid widespread devastation at the site.
—Reuters, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Observers link these conflicts to Abiy’s push away from Ethiopia’s longstanding system of ethnic federalism, which had allowed diverse regional states to draft their own laws and maintain local armies.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
The Allies had set up decoy armies to throw the Germans off of their plans.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 29 May 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Angels appear to be fleeing in the foreground; in the background, armies clash in the shadow of a medieval castle.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Today's armies are logistical marvels, with each combat platoon representing the sharp tip of a very long supply spear.
—David Szondy
june 03, New Atlas, 3 June 2026
The momentum generated in Normandy would carry Allied armies into Germany.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
The warring factions of the silver-haired Targaryen clan, led by Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) on Team Black and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) on Team Green, are finally fully stocked with armies and fire-breathing weapons of mass destruction and ready to fight for the Iron Throne.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
The unexplained detonation of explosives stored by one of Myanmar’s rebel armies has killed dozens, the militia that controls the village and witnesses said Monday, as the search for survivors continued amid widespread devastation at the site.
—Reuters, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Observers link these conflicts to Abiy’s push away from Ethiopia’s longstanding system of ethnic federalism, which had allowed diverse regional states to draft their own laws and maintain local armies.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
The Allies had set up decoy armies to throw the Germans off of their plans.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for armies
Noun
-
In the letter read out to lawmakers of the Central African country on Monday, Chadian President Mahamat Déby Itno said two battalions of 750 troops each will be deployed from this month for one year, following a request by the United Nations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Rather, our liberties would be saved by the ragtag battalions of night people doing their tireless work, unpaid, unheralded, and largely unseen.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Now is the time to get ahead of the swarms by controlling bagworms, aphids, whiteflies, stinkbugs, and Japanese beetles.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
-
Even advanced swarms often depend on stable communications and relatively simple coordination logic.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Popularized by a beer commercial during the 1986 World Cup, it’s used to rally on teams with its repetitive (albeit nonsensical) syllables as well as its upbeat ending.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
Russian national teams remain suspended from most international hockey competitions due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Before long, Busch’s raw talent, outspoken nature and seemingly endless string of victories had earned him legions of fans — and plenty of vocal critics.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
27 May 2026
-
This, is in part, what continues to make the film and the show beloved among legions of diehard fans.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
The venue only seats 2,600, so hordes of fans queued up for the standby list in Riverside Park before parking themselves behind bullpens.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
The streets of Soho are quiet in comparison to the hordes of shoppers on Regent Street.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
In the coming years, as Erik Neander took over the baseball operations department, the Rays were at the forefront of analytics with defensive shifts, aggressive platoons, utilizing openers, creating a menagerie of arm slots in the bullpen and, yes, prioritizing exit velocity.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
Outfield requires far more starting spots, and most of those available later in drafts are locked in platoons.—
Dalton Del Don,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Surrounded by some of the state capital’s oldest buildings, the Green is where troops once assembled during the American Revolution and where suffragettes campaigned for women’s rights.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
According to the Museum, more than 150,000 troops participated in the invasion, one of the largest amphibious military operations in history and a pivotal step toward the liberation of Western Europe.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Just a forehand shot away from the red clay courts, Auteuil is an authentic pocket of Paris that’s far from the tourist throngs—and the stereotypes sometimes saddled on it by east-leaning Parisians.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
The Israel Day parade has always been a must-attend event for mayors, governors and other political leaders to celebrate the Jewish state with throngs of revelers who pack Fifth Avenue.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Armies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/armies. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
