unarmed

1 of 2

adjective

un·​armed ˌən-ˈärmd How to pronounce unarmed (audio)
Synonyms of unarmednext
1
: not armed or armored
unarmed civilians
also : not using or involving a weapon
unarmed robbery
2
: having no hard and sharp projections (such as spines, spurs, or claws)

unarmed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of unarm

Examples of unarmed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The Attorney General’s Office investigates police deaths of unarmed people, but only from shootings. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist from Virginia, fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in November 2009, injuring another 32. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 9 Oct. 2026 Christopher, who was unarmed, was struck in his left arm, the bullet narrowly missing his spine. — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026 Second were unarmed passengers who subdued the armed attacker before one pulled back on the yoke to level the aircraft, drawing on knowledge from an air-disaster documentary. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unarmed

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unarmed was in the 14th century

Rhymes for unarmed

See All Rhymes for unarmed

Browse Nearby Words

unarm
unarmed
unarmored
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unarmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unarmed. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

unarmed

adjective
un·​armed ˌən-ˈärmd How to pronounce unarmed (audio)
ˈən-
: not armed or armored
unarmed civilians
also : not using or involving a weapon
unarmed robbery

Medical Definition

unarmed

adjective
un·​armed ˌən-ˈärmd How to pronounce unarmed (audio)
: having no arms or armlike projections
an unarmed tapeworm

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