rearm

verb

re·​arm (ˌ)rē-ˈärm How to pronounce rearm (audio)
rearmed; rearming; rearms

transitive verb

: to arm (a nation, a military force, etc.) again with new or better weapons

intransitive verb

: to become armed again

Examples of rearm in a Sentence

The treaty forbids the country to rearm. Another country was rearming their enemies.
Recent Examples on the Web When discussing the military’s recent loss of the key city of Avdiivka, Zelenskyy avoided directly blaming the retreat on a lack of ammunition from Ukraine’s key allies, but stressed the need to rearm and destroy Russia’s air fleet after the country dropped 3,200 bombs in the area. Nick Duffy, NBC News, 25 Feb. 2024 But after the failure of Ukraine’s offensive to drive Mr. Putin’s troops significantly backward, a rearming Russia could soon be in a position to make advances of its own. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2024 But the militants later regrouped and rearmed in each case. Dan De Luce, NBC News, 21 Dec. 2023 Israel has also fought three major wars against Hamas in Gaza since 2008, none of which prevented the group from rearming and preparing for the Oct. 7 assault. Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 9 Dec. 2023 Hamas won't be able to rearm or bring in reinforcements, but will be able to regroup its current forces, and get access to more food, water and most importantly, according to Nagel, fuel. Dov Lieber, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2023 Israel argues that any cessation of hostilities would allow Hamas to regroup and rearm in preparation to attack Israelis again. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Deng Xiaoping sought to rearm and reorganize the PLA to better defend China’s land borders from a menacing Soviet military presence to the north and an aggressive Vietnam to the south. David M. Finkelstein, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2023 With Texas rearmed with a healthy Ewers and Young trading his crimson cape for an NFL uniform, the Longhorns claimed supremacy. USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rearm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of rearm was in 1750

Dictionary Entries Near rearm

Cite this Entry

“Rearm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rearm. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rearm

verb
re·​arm (ˈ)rē-ˈärm How to pronounce rearm (audio)
: to arm again with new or better weapons
rearmament noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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