as in firearm
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 arm
In total, 43 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced by a five-day conflict that started with small arms fire and quickly escalated into heavy artillery and rocket fire, then Thailand’s deployment hours later of an F-16 fighter jet for airstrikes.
—
CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
Cambodian troops recorded themselves shooting down one such quadcopter drone with small arms fire.
—Sebastien Roblin, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Other buyers in Asia such as Bangladesh and Myanmar have acquired armored vehicles, trainer aircraft, and small arms.
—Amir Daftari
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
The United States has provided more than three billion dollars’ worth of assistance, including equipment such as Humvees, grenade launchers, small arms, night-vision goggles, and body armor.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for small arm
CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
Cambodian troops recorded themselves shooting down one such quadcopter drone with small arms fire.
—Sebastien Roblin, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Other buyers in Asia such as Bangladesh and Myanmar have acquired armored vehicles, trainer aircraft, and small arms.
—Amir Daftari
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
The United States has provided more than three billion dollars’ worth of assistance, including equipment such as Humvees, grenade launchers, small arms, night-vision goggles, and body armor.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for small arm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arm
Noun
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Lanez was convicted in 2022 of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm and sentenced in August 2023 to 10 years in prison.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The new rule and the announcement that USCIS officers can carry firearms are the most recent steps to transform the agency into a different entity, away from one founded to adjudicate benefit applications and provide services to the public.—
Stuart Anderson,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a straw purchase, an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess guns.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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This particular finding presents a more nuanced framing of gun violence and challenges dominant narratives about Chicago’s violence that have plagued the city’s reputation for decades.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Small arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arm. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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