arms
arms — noun
1. guns, bombs, and other objects designed to injure or kill people, especially tho
guns, bombs, and other objects designed to injure or kill people, especially those used by soldiers and military forces during a war or conflict.
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
Ayesha's grandfather worked in a factory that produced arms during the Second World War.
The UN security council voted to ban the export of arms to the war-torn region.
Police discovered a hidden arms depot beneath the old warehouse.
文法句型
arms + trade / deal / sale
plural noun with plural verb agreement
用法筆記
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').
常見錯誤
2. to get weapons and prepare to fight, especially in a war or an organized rebelli
to get weapons and prepare to fight, especially in a war or an organized rebellion against a government or enemy force.
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]
Historical records show that women also took up arms during the siege of the town.
No one in the coastal villages had expected to bear arms, but the sudden invasion left them with little choice.
In the old village, every man was expected to take up arms when the warning bell rang.
- take up weapons
a clearer but less idiomatic alternative
- mobilise
broader meaning — preparing people and resources, not just getting weapons
- lay down arms
see sense 3; the direct opposite action
文法句型
take up arms (against [someone])
bear arms
rise up in arms
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
3. to stop fighting and surrender by putting down your weapons, usually after a con
to stop fighting and surrender by putting down your weapons, usually after a conflict or as part of a peace agreement.
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
After the king was captured, the remaining troops finally laid down their arms.
No soldier wanted to lay down his arms while the enemy still surrounded the camp.
- 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
- take up arms
see sense 2; the direct opposite action
文法句型
lay down one's arms
用法筆記
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'.
常見錯誤
4. a special design or painted shield that serves as the official symbol of a parti
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.
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]
The queen granted the town a coat of arms for its five hundred years of history.
Mayumi traced her coat of arms back to a Scottish clan from the Highlands.
The city's coat of arms appears on its official flag and public buildings.
- 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
文法句型
coat of arms + of [family/city/organization]
用法筆記
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'.