armed

ARMD/ɑɹmd/UKAHMD/ɑːmd/

7 meanings of armed

1
carrying weaponsadjectivein compounds
Carrying a gun or other weapon, or equipped for fighting.
Like a soldier holding a sword instead of standing empty-handed.
The armed guard stood by the bank door all morning.
Police warned that the man was armed and dangerous.
UsageWe say armed with a knife or gun, and heavily armed.
Note
2
verb
Simple past and past participle of arm, describing the action of arming someone or something.
The rebels armed themselves with rifles before dawn.
She armed the alarm before leaving the house.
UsageWe say armed someone with something: armed the rebels with rifles, armed voters with the facts.
Note
3
adjective
Set and ready to fire, explode, or go off.
The bomb was armed and ready to detonate.
Once the system is armed, any motion triggers the alarm.
UsageThe opposite is disarmed. You can arm or disarm a bomb or an alarm.
Similarprimed, live, loaded
Oppositeinert
4
with limbsadjectivein compounds
Having arms or parts like arms, often a stated number of them, as in many-armed or seven-armed.
The starfish is five-armed, and each arm can regrow.
The starfish in the tank was five-armed and bright orange.
UsageUsually with a hyphen after a number or word: one-armed, five-armed.

Less common meanings

5
adjectiveobsolete
Fitted with something that adds strength, force, or usefulness.
a distemper eminently armed from heaven
1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague YearHere, armed means made stronger, given extra force or power.
Note
6
adjective
Having sharp thorns or prickles, like some plants.
7
adjective
In coats of arms, having claws, horns, teeth, or a beak shown in a different color from the rest.

armed is a form of arm

arm, verb: To give people weapons, or to get weapons ready yourself, to be able to fight. Full entry

Forms: armarms he/she/itarming -ing formarmed past tense, past participle
Spelling: arm → armed: add -ed
Sound: The ending sounds like /d/.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of armed apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–3, 5

From arm, meaning "to give a weapon to," plus -ed.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Armed derives from arm, meaning "to give a weapon to," plus -ed. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 4

From arm, the body part, plus -ed.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Armed, in its body-part sense, is formed from arm, the body part, plus -ed. en.wiktionary.org