How to Use small arm in a Sentence

small arm

noun
  • Deep State,’ won’t that pit your small arms against its tanks and bombers?
    — Ron Grossman, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2018
  • Russian soldiers used small arms to fire at some of the drones.
    — Harold Maass, The Week, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Also, the cuff size is a bit large and may not be ideal for small arms.
    — Loren Brutsch, Health, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Batons, sticks, pipes, and small arms are among their favorite weapons.
    — Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Civilians died in five attacks carried out by small arms and heavy weapons.
    — Samy Magdy, chicagotribune.com, 21 Aug. 2019
  • Despite flying out of small arms range, the team was not yet out of danger.
    — Matt Seyler, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2023
  • They were armed with small arms, machine guns, and a single-shot grenade launcher.
    — NBC News, 8 May 2018
  • Most conflict deaths are caused by small arms, which tend to last longer and spread further than other weapons.
    — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 29 Jan. 2020
  • Ask only for small arms or some ammunition, and chancers will try their luck.
    — The Economist, 18 Jan. 2018
  • News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
    — Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The troops included 162 men equipped with small arms and artillery.
    — Kate C. Lemay, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2023
  • In some cases, small arms fire and high rate-of-fire machine guns have proved effective against low-flying drones.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
  • The earbuds themselves are small and circular, with a small arm that protrudes into your ears.
    — Christian De Looper, BGR, 20 July 2021
  • And here is a group of guerrillas who, with the help of Iran but fighting with small arms and so on, was able to achieve that.
    — Peter Balonon-Rosen, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
  • Still, no small arm matches its raw stopping power within its effective range.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The team came under small arms and explosives fire, leading the agency to delay its mission.
    — Philip Issa, The Seattle Times, 21 Apr. 2018
  • Even in this case, where small arms fire is a major threat, the suits would offer barely more than minimal protection.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023
  • Sort of small arms warfare, where they were harassed for months in one of these sad situations where the cops wouldn’t intervene.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Officials said Celiz died Thursday of wounds from enemy small arms fire.
    — Fox News, 13 July 2018
  • They are used to protect our troops from roadside explosions and small arms fire in combat situations.
    — Bernard B. Kerik, Time, 8 Sep. 2017
  • This means Jaguar armor will protect the crew against the gamut of small arms fire and 155mm artillery shell shrapnel.
    — Allison Barrie, Fox News, 18 June 2018
  • Throughout their history, they have been proven vulnerable to small arms fire in urban combat.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
  • According to the military's Africa command, the unit came under fire from mortars and small arms.
    — Dennis Wagner, azcentral, 14 June 2018
  • Much has changed since 1776, including, of course, the efficacy of small arms.
    — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 8 Oct. 2017
  • Joseph Maciel of South Gate, California, was shot by small arms fire and killed.
    — Lolita C. Baldor, chicagotribune.com, 14 July 2018
  • Over the past months, Palestinians have mainly fired small arms, flown flaming kites and attempted to cross the border in small groups.
    — Felicia Schwartz and Dov Lieber, WSJ, 29 May 2018
  • To be fair, even light armor has value protecting soldiers against shrapnel and small arms fire while transiting to the frontline.
    — Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Initial shipments of small arms and short-range defensive weapons kept Russian troops from taking the capital.
    — Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 14 June 2023
  • Those women and girls made millions of rounds of small arms ammunition, as well as cannonballs and explosives for the war effort.
    — Christopher Derose, CBS News, 26 June 2026
  • Another pair of small arms — possibly belonging to Prince Archie — can be seen off to the side, holding a piece of cake.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'small arm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: