unarmed

adjective

un·​armed ˌən-ˈärmd How to pronounce unarmed (audio)
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)

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.
On the monument to those killed, arrows point outward to Pennsylvania, where unarmed strikers were killed at the Lattimer mine in 1897, and to South Africa, where peaceful protesters were killed at an anti-apartheid rally in Sharpeville in 1960. Lauren Frayer, NPR, 19 Apr. 2025 Other policies reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system – such as alternative 911 response programs that use unarmed behavioral health workers to respond to some types of emergencies. Christopher S. Warshaw, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025 President Carol Folt summoned the LAPD, who — in full riot gear, and with police choppers thundering overhead — descended on our campus to zip-tie and arrest 93 unarmed protestors, mostly students and a few faculty trying to protect them. Sandy Tolan, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025 The onslaught of murders of unarmed Black men like Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and the advent of the Black Lives Matter Movement, inspired her to want to do even more. Essence, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unarmed

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unarmed was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unarmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unarmed. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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