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armed forces
plural noun
: the combined military, naval, and air forces of a nation
called also armed services
Examples of armed forces in a Sentence
our nation's armed forces are stationed throughout the world
Recent Examples on the Web
For World War II, the armed forces developed the chain of evacuation.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
The monarch is patron of the legion, the largest charity for the armed forces in the U.K., as well as the Normandy Memorial Trust.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
Still, there were massive hurdles to overcome, beyond the officially sanctioned segregation of the armed forces.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 5 June 2024
Throughout the war, more than 1.1 million women served in the armed forces of the Western Allies, including 640,000 in Britain, where there was a real threat of invasion after Nazi troops drove to the shores of the English Channel.
—Danica Kirka, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for armed forces
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'armed forces.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1625, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near armed forces
Cite this Entry
“Armed forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/armed%20forces. Accessed 12 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
armed forces
plural noun
: the military, naval, and air forces of a nation
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