Thesaurus results for SMALL ARMS

small arms

noun

plural of small arm

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 small arms 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arms

Noun

Federal prosecutors alleged that the suspects held guns while standing on both sides of the car and demanded that the victim hand over the cash.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
As a result, researchers have found, firearms are discussed in fewer than 1 in 4 protective-order hearings nationwide, and courts order abusers to surrender their guns in 66% of applicable cases.

— Sativa Banks, The Conversation, 4 June 2026