small arm
Weapon one carries
A small arm is a weapon that can be carried and operated by a single person—handguns, rifles, shotguns, and submachine guns.
The term distinguishes portable firearms from crew-served weapons like artillery or mounted machine guns.
Almost always plural: The rebels had stockpiled small arms and ammunition.
- handgunFirearm for single-hand use
- pistolCompact one-handed firearm
- service pistolMilitary-issued handgun
- revolverPistol with rotating chamber
- sidearmPersonal weapon carried holstered
pocket pistol · derringer · concealed carry · Saturday night special · musket · flintlock · blunderbuss · arquebus · shotgun · gun · assault rifle · gat · close quarters · rifle · bolt action · carbine · sniper rifle · semi-automatic
weapon caliber and portability
small armartillery
Large-caliber battlefield weapons
heavy artillery · field artillery · cannon · howitzer · field gun
small, arm, smaller, smallest, smallish, smallness, arms, armed, arming