the upper limb of the human body, especially the part extending from the shoulder to the wrist.
the upper limb from the shoulder to the elbow.
the forelimb of any vertebrate.
some part of an organism like or likened to an arm.
any armlike part or attachment, as the tone arm of a phonograph.
a covering for the arm, especially a sleeve of a garment: the arm of a coat.
an administrative or operational branch of an organization: A special arm of the government will investigate.
Nautical. any of the curved or bent pieces of an anchor, terminating in the flukes.
an armrest.
an inlet or cove: an arm of the sea.
a combat branch of the military service, as the infantry, cavalry, or field artillery.
power; might; strength; authority: the long arm of the law.
Typography. either of the extensions to the right of the vertical line of a K or upward from the vertical stem of a Y.
Idioms for arm
an arm and a leg, a great deal of money: Our night on the town cost us an arm and a leg.
arm in arm, with arms linked together or intertwined: They walked along arm in arm.
at arm's length, not on familiar or friendly terms; at a distance: He's the kind of person you pity but want to keep at arm's length.
in the arms of Morpheus, asleep: After a strenuous day, he was soon in the arms of Morpheus.
on the arm, Slang. free of charge; gratis: an investigation of policemen who ate lunch on the arm.
put the arm on, Slang.
to solicit or borrow money from: She put the arm on me for a generous contribution.
to use force or violence on; use strong-arm tactics on: If they don't cooperate, put the arm on them.
twist someone's arm, to use force or coercion on someone.
with open arms, cordially; with warm hospitality: a country that receives immigrants with open arms.
Origin of arm
1
before 900; Middle English; Old English earm; cognate with Gothic arms,Old Norse armr,Old Frisian erm,Dutch, Old Saxon, Old High German arm (German Arm) arm; Latin armus,Serbo-Croatian rȁme,rȁmo shoulder; akin to Sanskrit īrmá,Avestan arəma-, OPruss irmo arm; not akin to Latin armaarm2
OTHER WORDS FROM arm
armed,adjectivearmlike,adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH arm
alms, arms
Words nearby arm
Arlington, Arlington Heights, Arlington National Cemetery, Arliss, Arlon, arm, Armada, Armada chest, Armada, Spanish, armadillo, Armageddon
Definition for arm (2 of 6)
arm2
[ ahrm ]
/ ɑrm /
noun
Usually arms.weapons, especially firearms.
arms,Heraldry. the escutcheon, with its divisions, charges, and tinctures, and the other components forming an achievement that symbolizes and is reserved for a person, family, or corporate body; armorial bearings; coat of arms.
verb (used without object)
to enter into a state of hostility or of readiness for war.
verb (used with object)
to equip with weapons: to arm the troops.
to activate (a fuze) so that it will explode the charge at the time desired.
to cover protectively.
to provide with whatever will add strength, force, or security; support; fortify: He was armed with statistics and facts.
to equip or prepare for any specific purpose or effective use: to arm a security system; to arm oneself with persuasive arguments.
to prepare for action; make fit; ready.
Origin of arm
2
1200–50 for v.; 1300–50 for noun; (v.) Middle English armen<Anglo-French, Old French armer<Latin armāre to arm, verbal derivative of arma (plural) tools, weapons (not akin to arm1); (noun) Middle English armes (plural) ≪ Latin arma, as above
On Tuesday, Team8, a Tel Aviv- and New York-based venture group backed by Microsoft, Walmart, Barclays, and Moodys, announced that Russak-Aminoach will be one of the leaders of its new arm, Team8 Fintech.
She was one of the world’s few female bank CEOs. Now she’s founding a fintech venture group|Claire Zillman, reporter|September 15, 2020|Fortune
With its $40-billion acquisition of ARM from a faltering SoftBank, Nvidia will compete on every important semiconductor application in the technology landscape.
Move over, Intel. Nvidia’s the best chipmaker now|Adam Lashinsky|September 14, 2020|Fortune
With advances in weaponry, destructive Minié bullets and a lack of surgical experience among doctors, many Civil War soldiers with leg or arm wounds required amputation.
Times of strife can lead to medical innovation—when governments are willing|By Jeffrey Clemens/The Conversation|September 9, 2020|Popular Science
In 2016, Facebook expanded the network to include mobile websites, but shut down the web arm of the service in April this year.
Facebook says ‘technical issue’ caused its ads to appear on publisher websites without their permission|Lara O'Reilly|September 9, 2020|Digiday
People afflicted with SIRVA can require painful surgeries to recover and may lose use of their arms for months or years.
Gutting this federal program could undermine Americans’ confidence in a COVID vaccine|jakemeth|September 6, 2020|Fortune
At St. Barnabas Hospital, Pellerano was listed in stable condition with wounds to his chest and arm.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dossi initially was listed in critical condition with wounds to his arm and lower back.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She is wearing a crop top, and Andrew has his arm wrapped around her waist.
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Women want a hot, young thing to parade around on their arm, too.
Career-Minded Women Turn to Male Escorts For No-Strings Fun and (Maybe) Sex|Aurora Snow|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As she turned away on his arm, her eyes swung round to Davey.
The Pioneers|Katharine Susannah Prichard
He had raised his weapon as the door flew open, but now his arm fell.
Lord Jim|Joseph Conrad
He took the place of Jean Valjean, who, on account of his arm being still in a sling, could not give his hand to the bride.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
I do not remember much else about it; indeed, the pain in my arm was so sharp that I had no eyes for physical features.
Ayesha|H. Rider Haggard
Taking his arm he drew him into a quiet place and told him all that had happened since they had last met.
The Crimson Fairy Book|Various
British Dictionary definitions for arm (1 of 4)
arm1
/ (ɑːm) /
noun
(in man) either of the upper limbs from the shoulder to the wristRelated adjective: brachial
the part of either of the upper limbs from the elbow to the wrist; forearm
the corresponding limb of any other vertebrate
an armlike appendage of some invertebrates
an object that covers or supports the human arm, esp the sleeve of a garment or the side of a chair, sofa, etc
anything considered to resemble an arm in appearance, position, or function, esp something that branches out from a central support or larger massan arm of the sea; the arm of a record player
an administrative subdivision of an organizationan arm of the government
power; authoritythe arm of the law
any of the specialist combatant sections of a military force, such as cavalry, infantry, etc
nautical See yardarm
sport, espball gamesability to throw or pitchhe has a good arm
an arm and a leginformala large amount of money
arm in armwith arms linked
at arm's lengthat a distance; away from familiarity with or subjection to another
give one's right arminformalto be prepared to make any sacrifice
in the arms of Morpheussleeping
with open armswith great warmth and hospitalityto welcome someone with open arms
verb
(tr)archaicto walk arm in arm with
Derived forms of arm
armless, adjectivearmlike, adjective
Word Origin for arm
Old English; related to German Arm, Old Norse armr arm, Latin armus shoulder, Greek harmos joint
British Dictionary definitions for arm (2 of 4)
arm2
/ (ɑːm) /
verb(tr)
to equip with weapons as a preparation for war
to provide (a person or thing) with something that strengthens, protects, or increases efficiencyhe armed himself against the cold
to activate (a fuse) so that it will explode at the required time
to prepare (an explosive device) for use by introducing a fuse or detonator
nauticalto pack arming into (a sounding lead)
noun
(usually plural)a weapon, esp a firearm
See also arms
Word Origin for arm
C14: (n) back formation from arms, from Old French armes, from Latin arma; (vb) from Old French armer to equip with arms, from Latin armāre, from arma arms, equipment