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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Police shot at an unarmed crowd protesting apartheid pass laws on March 21, 1960, and drew international condemnation. — Michelle Gumede, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Mundubile disputes the account, saying his aides were unarmed. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Woods also actively shot an unarmed bystander who appeared to be trying to flee from the gunfire, charges allege. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 In February 2012, Trayvon, an unarmed Black teen, was shot and killed while walking home from a convenience store, by George Zimmerman, a volunteer with a neighborhood watch in Sanford, Florida. — Ryan Young, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

More from Merriam-Webster on unarmed

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unarmed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All