arms

arms — noun

1. guns, bombs, and other objects designed to injure or kill people, especially tho

1.nounB1
Definition

guns, bombs, and other objects designed to injure or kill people, especially those used by soldiers and military forces during a war or conflict.

Example

The government secretly shipped arms to the rebel fighters in the north.

arms + shipped to [recipient]

International treaties restrict the sale of arms to countries at war.

restrict the sale of arms

Common collocations
  • arms trade
  • arms deal
  • arms control
  • arms race
  • small arms
  • sell arms
  • supply arms
  • produce arms
Synonyms
  • weapons

    the most common, everyday alternative; 'arms' feels more formal or political

  • weaponry

    used for types or systems of weapons collectively; more technical

  • munitions

    specifically military supplies like bullets, bombs, and shells; formal register

Grammar Patterns

arms + trade / deal / sale

plural noun with plural verb agreement

Usage Note

This sense is always used as a plural noun with a plural verb. It never has a singular form: 'the arms were seized' (not 'the arm was seized').

Common Mistakes

The military stored the arm in a warehouse.
The military stored the arms in a warehouse.
'arms' meaning weapons is always plural.

2. to get weapons and prepare to fight, especially in a war or an organized rebelli

2.nounB2
Definition

to get weapons and prepare to fight, especially in a war or an organized rebellion against a government or enemy force.

Example

Thousands of citizens took up arms to defend their capital city from the advancing troops.

took up arms to defend [place]

The rebels called on every able-bodied person to bear arms against the dictatorship.

bear arms against [opponent]

Common collocations
  • take up arms
  • bear arms
  • call to arms
  • rise up in arms
Synonyms
  • take up weapons

    a clearer but less idiomatic alternative

  • mobilise

    broader meaning — preparing people and resources, not just getting weapons

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

take up arms (against [someone])

bear arms

rise up in arms

Usage Note

This meaning appears mainly in fixed expressions like 'take up arms', 'bear arms', and 'rise up in arms'. The verb changes form: 'the rebels took up arms', 'citizens bear arms', 'they have taken up arms'. For the stronger protest meaning, see the idiom 'be up in arms' below.

Common Mistakes

They armed up to fight the enemy.
They took up arms to fight the enemy.
English uses the fixed phrase 'take up arms', not 'arm up'.

3. to stop fighting and surrender by putting down your weapons, usually after a con

3.nounB2
Definition

to stop fighting and surrender by putting down your weapons, usually after a conflict or as part of a peace agreement.

Example

After the ceasefire was announced, both armies agreed to lay down their arms.

lay down their arms after [event]

The general commanded the soldiers to lay down their arms and walk out of the fort.

commanded [someone] to lay down their arms

Common collocations
  • lay down arms
  • lay down one's arms
Synonyms
  • surrender

    more common and broader; 'lay down arms' specifically means to stop fighting and put down weapons

  • cease fighting

    focuses on stopping combat, not necessarily surrendering

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

lay down one's arms

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively in the fixed phrase 'lay down one's arms'. The possessive pronoun changes with the subject: 'lay down my arms', 'lay down your arms', 'lay down their arms'. This is a formal or historical expression; in everyday conversation, people would say 'surrender' or 'stop fighting'.

Common Mistakes

The soldiers laid their arms on the ground.
The soldiers laid down their arms.
The fixed phrase requires 'down', not just 'lay their arms'.

4. a special design or painted shield that serves as the official symbol of a parti

4.nounC1
Definition

a special design or painted shield that serves as the official symbol of a particular family, city, university, or other institution, traditionally displayed on flags, documents, and buildings.

Example

The university's coat of arms shows a golden book and an olive branch on a blue background.

coat of arms shows [symbols]

Jabari discovered that his family's coat of arms dates back to the sixteenth century in Portugal.

family's coat of arms dates back to [century]

Common collocations
  • coat of arms
  • family coat of arms
  • royal coat of arms
  • grant a coat of arms
Synonyms
  • heraldic device

    more technical term used by historians and museum curators

  • emblem

    a broader word for any symbolic design, not necessarily heraldic

  • crest

    often used loosely to mean coat of arms, but technically refers only to the top part

Grammar Patterns

coat of arms + of [family/city/organization]

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in the fixed phrase 'coat of arms'. The word 'arms' here is never used alone — you cannot say 'the family arms' without 'coat of' in modern English (though heraldry experts may use 'arms' elliptically). Plural of the phrase: 'coats of arms'.

Common Mistakes

The family arms was displayed on the wall.
The family coat of arms was displayed on the wall.
In modern English, you need 'coat of' before 'arms' for this meaning.
Idioms

be up in arms

idiom

to be very angry and upset about something, and to protest or complain about it loudly and publicly.

Residents were up in arms about the plan to build a factory next to the elementary school.

Teachers across the city were up in arms over the sudden budget cuts to public education.

bear arms

idiom

To serve as a soldier or to engage in combat.

In ancient times, every free man had to bear arms for his city.

Did your grandfather bear arms during the war?

be under arms

idiom

To have weapons and be prepared to fight in a war.

The entire nation was under arms during the conflict.

How many soldiers are currently under arms in that region?

a call to arms

idiom

A strong appeal to join a military fight or to defend a cause.

The general issued a call to arms to all able-bodied citizens.

Her speech was a call to arms for environmental activists.

lay down your arms

idiom

To stop fighting and surrender weapons.

The rebels agreed to lay down their arms after the treaty.

Will the enemy ever lay down their arms peacefully?

present arms

idiom

To hold a rifle upright in front of the body as a sign of respect.

The soldiers presented arms as the general passed by.

At the ceremony, the guard presented arms to the fallen hero.

take up arms (against somebody)

idiom

To prepare to fight, especially with weapons.

The villagers took up arms against the invading army.

Why did they take up arms against their own government?

(be) up in arms (about/over something)

idiom

To be very angry and ready to protest strongly about something.

The residents were up in arms over the new factory plan.

Why is the whole town up in arms about the school closure?

Word family

  • arm
    verbB2
  • armament
    nounC1
  • armaments
    nounC1
  • armour
    nounB2
  • armoured
    adjectiveB2
  • unarmed
    adjectiveB2
  • disarm
    verbB2
  • disarmament
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to tools used for fighting, but they differ in scope and register. 'Weapons' is the broadest and most neutral everyday word — a knife, a gun, or a nuclear warhead can all be called weapons. 'Arms' overlaps with 'weapons' but sounds more formal and is especially used in political and legal contexts (arms trade, arms control). 'Weaponry' is a collective term that emphasises the types or systems of weapons available, often used in technical discussions. 'Munitions' specifically refers to military supplies such as bullets, shells, and bombs, not to the guns themselves. 'Armaments' is even broader, covering all the military equipment and supplies of a country. For example: 'The UN talks focused on limiting the arms trade' (political context), while 'The rebels needed weapons and munitions to continue fighting' distinguishes guns from ammunition.

weaponsweaponrymunitionsarmaments

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'arms' meaning weapons comes from the Old French 'armes', which developed from the Latin 'arma' meaning 'tools of war, weapons'. The heraldic sense (coat of arms) developed later in medieval Europe, when knights decorated their shields with distinctive symbols that identified them in battle, and these symbols came to represent families and institutions. The idiom 'be up in arms' originally referred literally to rising up with weapons to fight, but later softened to mean strong protest without actual violence.