arsenal

noun

ar·se·nal ˈärs-nəl

ˈär-sə-

Synonyms of arsenal

: an establishment for the manufacture or storage of arms and military equipment

The city is home to a federal arsenal.

: a collection of weapons

: store, repertoire

the team's arsenal of veteran players

Examples of arsenal in a Sentence

The city is home to a federal arsenal. Doctors have a broad arsenal of medicines to choose from. the team's arsenal of veteran players

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.

More recently, the Yemeni government has built up a rival drone arsenal. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 These are a relatively new addition to Russia’s arsenal, having been first spotted around the start of the year. — Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 By the end of March, intelligence assessments said that about one-third of Iran’s missile arsenal had been destroyed. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026 The movie, a rare nonfiction romance, uses every tool in the documentary arsenal to make the story fly. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arsenal

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "dockyard for the construction and repair of naval vessels," borrowed from Middle French archenal, arsenail, arsenal (in reference to the naval dockyard of Venice), borrowed (with conformation of the final to -al -al entry 2) from Upper Italian (Venice) arzanà, presumably alteration (by metanalysis, with the initial taken as the preposition d', di "from") of darsenà (attested in Genoese, earlier in Medieval Latin as darsena, darsana), borrowed from Arabic dār al-ṣināʽa "place of manufacture," from dār "house" + al "the" (assimilated to aṣ) + ṣināʽa "manufacture" (derivative of ṣanaʽa "to make")

Note: Forms with final -ale (as arsenale, arzanale, arzenale) are attested in Italian in the sixteenth century and may be the immediate source of the English word. The French forms with -al may reflect these, though attested about a century earlier. As arzanà the Venetian word is attested in the text of Dante's Inferno ("nell'arzanà de' Viniziani," XXI, 7).

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of arsenal was in 1555

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

arsen-

arsenal

arsenate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Arsenal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arsenal. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

arsenal

noun

ar·se·nal ˈärs-nəl

-ᵊn-əl

: a place for the manufacture or storage of arms

: a collection of weapons

arsenal

noun

Synonyms of arsenal

Examples of arsenal in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

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

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

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes