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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small arms
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
The year is 1940 and the Second World War is in full swing, coming to Birmingham with a bang when a bomb falls on a small arms factory, killing everyone including a previously unseen member of the Shelby family, Agnes (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
From the north and from the island’s southern highpoint, 550-foot Mount Suribachi, shells and small arms fire rained on the Marines, the Courant reported.
—Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
Sort of small arms warfare, where they were harassed for months in one of these sad situations where the cops wouldn’t intervene.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
The Russia-Ukraine War began as a fairly standard 21st-century conventional war, marked by huge armored columns trying to take key cities and military installations, air assaults, close air support, and small arms gunbattles.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
Producer and colleague Monika Evstatieva and I were in that convoy, took small arms fire, but were unharmed.
—Tom Bowman, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
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
The year is 1940 and the Second World War is in full swing, coming to Birmingham with a bang when a bomb falls on a small arms factory, killing everyone including a previously unseen member of the Shelby family, Agnes (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
From the north and from the island’s southern highpoint, 550-foot Mount Suribachi, shells and small arms fire rained on the Marines, the Courant reported.
—Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
Sort of small arms warfare, where they were harassed for months in one of these sad situations where the cops wouldn’t intervene.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
The Russia-Ukraine War began as a fairly standard 21st-century conventional war, marked by huge armored columns trying to take key cities and military installations, air assaults, close air support, and small arms gunbattles.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
Producer and colleague Monika Evstatieva and I were in that convoy, took small arms fire, but were unharmed.
—Tom Bowman, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arms
Noun
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Prosecutors said 15 guns were fired and 145 pieces of ballistic evidence were recovered from the shooting.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The third-year head coach then stuck to his guns.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Transit Ambassadors are not peace officers and cannot carry firearms or knives, according to RT.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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North Korean state-run media KCNA published photos of the North Korean leader and his daughter with a tank last month, following prior images of the girl utilizing firearms, Reuters reported.—
Alex Nitzberg,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arms. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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