under arms
Enlisted for combat
Under arms means equipped and ready for military action.
Soldiers under arms are armed and prepared for combat or duty, as opposed to being at rest or demobilized: The nation had fifty thousand troops under arms.
The phrase appears in discussions of military strength or readiness: How many men can we put under arms by spring?
Armed forces member
- infantryGround combat troops
- regimentColonel-led military unit
- battalionMid-sized military unit
- platoonSmall infantry formation
brigade · squadron · troops · enlistment · conscription · mobilization · deployment · garrison
Military equipment collectively
- firearmsWeapons using explosive propulsion
- ammunitionWeapon projectiles and charges
- sidearmPersonal weapon carried holstered
- rifleLong-barreled shoulder weapon
pistol · holster · bayonet · musket · carbine · revolver · shotgun · magazine
Warning or watchfulness
- preparednessState of being equipped
- standbyReady substitute awaiting use
- mobilizedAssembled for action
- activatedMade operational
combat-ready · battle stations · on guard · mustered · assembled · marshaled · poised · provisioned
Organized resistance to power
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- militiaNon-professional armed force
guerrilla · partisan · revolutionary · defiance · insurrection · mutiny · liberation · freedom fighter
soldier
Armed forces member
platoon · brigade · squadron · troops · enlistment · conscription · mobilization · deployment · garrison · barracks
weaponry
Military equipment collectively
- firearmsWeapons using explosive propulsion
- ammunitionWeapon projectiles and charges
- sidearmPersonal weapon carried holstered
rifle · pistol · holster · bayonet · musket · carbine · revolver · shotgun · magazine · cartridge
alert
Warning or watchfulness
- preparednessState of being equipped
- standbyReady substitute awaiting use
- mobilizedAssembled for action
activated · combat-ready · battle stations · on guard · mustered · assembled · marshaled · poised · provisioned · equipped
uprising
Organized resistance to power
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
militia · guerrilla · partisan · revolutionary · defiance · insurrection · mutiny · liberation · freedom fighter · underground
under armsdemobilized
Released from military service
discharged · mustered out · civilian · stood down · decommissioned