as in guns
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
soldiers grabbing their arms and helmets and heading into battle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in departments
a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization
a company that needs to beef up its marketing arm if it wants to compete in today's business world
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in bays
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
this arm of the Atlantic is surprisingly peaceful, as the stronger ocean currents do not reach this far
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in capes
an area of land that juts out into a body of water
Maine has so many long, narrow arms that jut out into the ocean that early coastal settlers found it much easier to travel by sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in powers
the right or means to command or control others
few criminals manage to permanently escape the long arm of the law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arms
Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Ilia Malinin sprawled out on the ice, his arms spread wide.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Maduro also forged deep strategic ties with China, Russia and Iran, which provided loans, arms, technology and diplomatic cover.
—Paul Vallas, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
His arms hung uselessly at his sides.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
The trio posed in front of a marble staircase with their arms around each other.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
The two officers who won by vote count are former Animation Guild President Jeanette Moreno King, who will now serve as secretary, and David DePasquale as sergeant-at-arms.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
In their decades of power, the Assads aligned Damascus firmly with Moscow, relying on aid, arms and unwavering diplomatic backing.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
At the end of Monday's live Atlas demonstration, the humanoid prototype swung its arms in a theatrical gesture to introduce a static model of the new product version of Atlas, which looked slightly different and was blue in color.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for arms
Verb
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That night, Pam fortifies herself with a few drinks and answers when the phone rings.—
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The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority regularly fortifies religious rights, but the justices have also been wary of expanding government officials’ exposure to damages in their individual capacities.—
Verb
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There isn’t anything that prepares you for that reality, especially in filmmaking.—
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The position prepares special reports, determines budget needs, and interprets parole policy and procedure.—
Verb
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This single fine is close to the normal total of $8 million to $10 million in all fines that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration hands out each year.—
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Boston Public Health Commissioner Bisola Ojikutu revealed in September that the city hands out more than 80,000 needles per month to drug users.—
Verb
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When a team allots minutes to so many young players simultaneously, lapses in concentration and on-court mistakes are bound to happen.—
Verb
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Rob Hale, founder and CEO of telecommunications company Granite Communications, annually doles out $1,000 checks to local recent college graduates in Massachusetts.—
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In total, the New York City Marathon doles out $969,000 in prize money, including $534,000 total to the men’s and women’s top-10 finishers, and $118,000 total to the top-five American finishers.—
Verb
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Decathlon specially manufactures shoes for him that are identical except for one key trait—heel-toe drop, say—and then Malisoux randomly assigns them to runners and monitors their injury rates.—
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Once a petition is filed, a clerk receives it, assigns a case number, and sends it to a judge or court.—
Verb
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The current budget also allocates $777,099,000 for Child Care Services.—
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Alongside the tax cuts, the same bill allocates significant new funding, including $150 billion for the Pentagon and $170 billion for immigration enforcement to expand ICE staffing, raids, and deportations.—
Verb
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This position distributes weight evenly across the body, reducing localized pressure and muscular tension.—
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During wildfires, users can share snapshots with Watch Duty, a nonprofit that distributes real-time fire alerts to communities and authorities.—
Cite this Entry
“Arms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arms. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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