as in guns
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
the soldiers keep their small arms securely in their holsters when not on patrol
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Recent Examples of small arms
While some videos include a soundtrack of small arms fire, there is little sign of the mobile fire groups of volunteers armed with anti-aircraft machine guns which Russia is now deploying at scale.
—
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Ciber’s unit has five such machines, used sparingly, and is preparing another, faster robot, capable of covering 10 miles an hour, to carry Kalashnikov small arms into battle.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
In some cases, small arms fire and high rate-of-fire machine guns have proved effective against low-flying drones.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Throughout their history, they have been proven vulnerable to small arms fire in urban combat.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
In the virtual panel discussion last week, union leaders described the Lake City facility as the largest producer of small arms ammunition for the armed forces.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The suspension applies to at least a part of SIG Sauer, a major small arms maker based in Switzerland and Germany.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
During the past few years, the Houthis have become less reliant on Iran for weapons, smuggling in drone components from Chinese companies and small arms from the Horn of Africa.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Ciber’s unit has five such machines, used sparingly, and is preparing another, faster robot, capable of covering 10 miles an hour, to carry Kalashnikov small arms into battle.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
In some cases, small arms fire and high rate-of-fire machine guns have proved effective against low-flying drones.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Throughout their history, they have been proven vulnerable to small arms fire in urban combat.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
In the virtual panel discussion last week, union leaders described the Lake City facility as the largest producer of small arms ammunition for the armed forces.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The suspension applies to at least a part of SIG Sauer, a major small arms maker based in Switzerland and Germany.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
During the past few years, the Houthis have become less reliant on Iran for weapons, smuggling in drone components from Chinese companies and small arms from the Horn of Africa.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arms
Noun
-
Sun’s out, guns out – but where to take that beach vacation this year?—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
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Possible future trends Interceptor drones like the Iron Wasp are part of a counter UAS tool box comprising of guns, rockets and directed energy weapons.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Scenes involving firearms alarmed distributors still grappling with the aftermath of the Columbine massacre, while the film’s October release via Newmarket was further complicated by a trailer prominently featuring an airplane crash just weeks after the September 11 attacks.—
José Salazar,
IndieWire,
22 June 2026
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Proper’s mother called local police in Ohio about his recent behavior, which included communicating with the group and buying firearms.—
Shira Li Bartov,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arms. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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