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
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
Alkhatib warned that Hamas may try to retain small arms to exert control over pockets of Gaza and seek to influence any technocratic governing structure meant to reconstruct the enclave and pave the way for self-governance.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag — each containing a plate capable of stopping small arms fire, according to prosecutors.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Two months later, the group launched more than two dozen attacks across northeastern Syria, relying on a combination of guerrilla tactics, including small arms fire, ambushes, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices targeting military checkpoints and government vehicles.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
From small arms to nuclear platforms, China has unveiled a new generation of weapons across every domain of warfare on Wednesday at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
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
Alkhatib warned that Hamas may try to retain small arms to exert control over pockets of Gaza and seek to influence any technocratic governing structure meant to reconstruct the enclave and pave the way for self-governance.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag — each containing a plate capable of stopping small arms fire, according to prosecutors.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Two months later, the group launched more than two dozen attacks across northeastern Syria, relying on a combination of guerrilla tactics, including small arms fire, ambushes, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices targeting military checkpoints and government vehicles.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
From small arms to nuclear platforms, China has unveiled a new generation of weapons across every domain of warfare on Wednesday at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arms
Noun
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Among the category winners were stunning photographs including the guns of a Japanese Navy wreck, a female octopus lovingly guarding her eggs and the moment clownfish eggs hatch.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
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Agents ran into a grocery store with guns, busted a United States citizen’s truck window and lingered outside an office belonging to an immigrant-friendly nonprofit, among other controversies.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rather, the government has charged Hemani with violating a federal gun law that bars people with drug addiction from possession of firearms, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
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Liberal-leaning Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said a ban on firearms for cannabis users didn't seem to have strong historical roots.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arms. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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