as in guns
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
the soldiers keep their small arms securely in their holsters when not on patrol
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small arms
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
While some videos include a soundtrack of small arms fire, there is little sign of the mobile fire groups of volunteers armed with anti-aircraft machine guns which Russia is now deploying at scale.
—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Ciber’s unit has five such machines, used sparingly, and is preparing another, faster robot, capable of covering 10 miles an hour, to carry Kalashnikov small arms into battle.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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
Throughout their history, they have been proven vulnerable to small arms fire in urban combat.
—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
In the virtual panel discussion last week, union leaders described the Lake City facility as the largest producer of small arms ammunition for the armed forces.
—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
The suspension applies to at least a part of SIG Sauer, a major small arms maker based in Switzerland and Germany.
—
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Christopher Derose,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
While some videos include a soundtrack of small arms fire, there is little sign of the mobile fire groups of volunteers armed with anti-aircraft machine guns which Russia is now deploying at scale.
—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Ciber’s unit has five such machines, used sparingly, and is preparing another, faster robot, capable of covering 10 miles an hour, to carry Kalashnikov small arms into battle.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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
Throughout their history, they have been proven vulnerable to small arms fire in urban combat.
—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
In the virtual panel discussion last week, union leaders described the Lake City facility as the largest producer of small arms ammunition for the armed forces.
—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
News reports said the helicopters faced small arms fire but made it out safely with the pilot.
—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
The suspension applies to at least a part of SIG Sauer, a major small arms maker based in Switzerland and Germany.
—
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small arms
Noun
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But police say the ranger approaching the car would ultimately lead to a sprawling investigation involving drugs, guns, mysterious chemicals, a missing woman and local and federal investigators turning a Philadelphia home inside out.
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State lawmakers said these rapid-fire guns are not needed for self-defense but can be a weapon of mass murder.
Noun
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Teri handled higher-value finds and saw that potentially dangerous items – like firearms and knives – got to the local sheriff’s office.
-
Many of the firearms are believed to have been stolen, and could be linked to crimes in the region, federal officials said.
Cite this Entry
“Small arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20arms. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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