armor

armor — noun

1. strong metal or other tough material worn on the body, fitted to a vehicle, or g

1.nounB2
Definition

strong metal or other tough material worn on the body, fitted to a vehicle, or grown by an animal to keep it safe from weapons, attack, or injury; this is the American spelling of the word also written as 'armour'.

Example

The medieval knight wore heavy armor made of polished steel plates.

wear + armor for body protection

Soldiers riding inside the tank were protected by thick armor on every side.

armor on a vehicle

Common collocations
  • heavy armor
  • body armor
  • suit of armor
  • armor plating
  • wear armor
  • pierce armor
Synonyms
  • armour

    the British spelling of the same word

  • plating

    specifically the metal sheets fixed to a ship, vehicle, or building

  • shielding

    broader: any layer that blocks danger, including radiation or noise, not only weapons

Grammar Patterns

wear armor

in armor

a suit of armor

Usage Note

American spelling; British English uses 'armour'. Almost always uncountable: say 'a piece of armor' or 'a suit of armor', not 'an armor'. Frequently appears in fixed compounds: 'body armor', 'suit of armor', 'armor plating'.

Common Mistakes

The knight bought an armor.
The knight bought a suit of armor.
armor is uncountable; use 'a suit of' or 'a piece of' to count it.
British soldiers wore armor.' (in a UK-style text)
British soldiers wore armour.
keep 'armor' for American writing and 'armour' for British writing.
Idioms

a chink in someone's armor

idiom

a small weakness in a person, plan, or argument that otherwise looks strong, which an opponent can use to attack or defeat them.

The lawyer found a chink in the witness's armor when she contradicted her earlier statement.

Senator Daniels' fear of public speaking was the only chink in his armor during the campaign.

a knight in shining armor

idiom

a person, usually a man, who arrives at the right moment to rescue or help someone in trouble.

When Camille's car broke down at midnight, her brother arrived like a knight in shining armor.

Kenji doesn't need a knight in shining armor; he can solve his own problems.

Word family

  • armored
    adjectiveB2
  • armory
    nounC1
  • arm
    verbB2
  • unarmed
    adjectiveB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name something that protects, but they differ in shape and scope. 'Armor' is worn over the body or fitted around a vehicle, and it covers a wide area — think of a knight's full suit or a tank. 'Shield' is a single object held in the hand or carried in front of the body to block one specific blow. 'Plating' is narrower and more technical: the flat metal sheets fastened onto a ship, tank, or safe — it is one component of a vehicle's armor, not the whole system. 'Shielding' is the most abstract and modern, often used for invisible threats such as radiation, electromagnetic waves, or noise. So a knight wears armor, holds a shield, lives in a castle reinforced with steel plating, and a nuclear reactor needs lead shielding.

armor ↗shield ↗platingshielding

Common collocations

Nouns

  • body armor
  • suit of armor
  • armor plating
  • armor piercing rounds

Phrases

  • clad in armor
  • pierce the armor
  • a chink in the armor

Prepositions

  • in armor
  • under armor
  • through armor

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Borrowed into Middle English in the 1300s from Old French 'armure', which came from Latin 'armatura' meaning 'equipment for war', built on 'arma' ('weapons, tools'). British English kept the French-style ending '-our' (armour), while American English settled on the simpler '-or' spelling (armor) after Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary promoted shorter American forms.