Words / B1

AHMD/ɑːmd/

Someone who is armed is carrying a weapon: armed police; an armed robbery; armed forces. Unarmed is the opposite. The armed forces are a country’s army, navy, and air force. Arm as a verb means give weapons; arms (plural noun) means weapons. Do not confuse armed with arm as a body part. In news headlines, armed raid and armed officer are typical.

Meaning

Carrying weapons.

Examples

• “Armed police stood outside the building.”
• “The army sent an armed patrol to the border.”
• “An unarmed officer tried to calm the crowd first.”

Good to know

armed police / robbery / forces. Opposite: unarmed. Noun weapons: arms. Verb: arm. Not the body-part arm.

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