plural armies
1
a
: a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land
b
: a unit capable of independent action and consisting usually of a headquarters, two or more corps, and auxiliary troops
c
often capitalized
: the complete military organization of a nation for land warfare
2
: a great multitude
an army of birds
3
: a body of persons organized to advance a cause
Examples of army in a Sentence
the armies of Alexander the Great
He left home and joined the army after he graduated from high school.
The company employs an army of lawyers to handle its legal affairs.
They sent in a whole army of trained technicians.
The organization was founded by a dedicated army of volunteers.
Recent Examples on the Web
The principle of proportionality, codified in 1977 in Additional Protocol I, acknowledges that sometimes armies will harm civilians and civilian objects when pursuing military objectives.
—
Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
After receiving permission from Hayes, the men of the 23rd asked their Jewish sutler (a civilian merchant who follows armies to sell provisions to soldiers), who was about to head home to Cincinnati, to buy and ship them matzos.
—Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
As the Myanmar army retreated, its troops scattered land mines like rice seed, creating lasting hazards for civilians and combatants alike.
—Hannah Beech Adam Ferguson, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Iran's army chief, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, said Wednesday that Iran would respond to any Israeli aggression, according to remarks carried by the IRNA state news agency.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
The army made the announcement about Lydia Simon’s dramatic rescue in a social media post on Thursday.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
All are populists bolstered by online armies that have been accused of spreading disinformation.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
After the Waco siege, an unthinkable plan brews in the mind of army veteran Timothy McVeigh.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
The group included four women and six children and was led by a former Cuban rebel army captain, Rómulo Juan Delgado y Fernández.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
After receiving permission from Hayes, the men of the 23rd asked their Jewish sutler (a civilian merchant who follows armies to sell provisions to soldiers), who was about to head home to Cincinnati, to buy and ship them matzos.
—Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
As the Myanmar army retreated, its troops scattered land mines like rice seed, creating lasting hazards for civilians and combatants alike.
—Hannah Beech Adam Ferguson, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Iran's army chief, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, said Wednesday that Iran would respond to any Israeli aggression, according to remarks carried by the IRNA state news agency.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
The army made the announcement about Lydia Simon’s dramatic rescue in a social media post on Thursday.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
All are populists bolstered by online armies that have been accused of spreading disinformation.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
After the Waco siege, an unthinkable plan brews in the mind of army veteran Timothy McVeigh.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
The group included four women and six children and was led by a former Cuban rebel army captain, Rómulo Juan Delgado y Fernández.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'army.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Army.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/army. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
army
noun
ar·my
ˈär-mē 
plural armies
1
a
: a large body of men and women organized for land warfare
b
often capitalized
: the complete military organization of a nation for land warfare
2
: a great number of persons or things
3
: a body of persons organized to promote an idea
Etymology
Middle English armee "army," from early French armee (same meaning), derived from Latin arma "weapons"
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