Meaning & use
armor / armour
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Meanings
noununcountable
A hard covering, traditionally made of metal, worn to protect a fighter's body.
Grammar: Uncountable: say a suit of armor, not an armor.
Patterns
- a suit of armor
- in armor
The knight put on his heavy armor before the tournament.
The museum displays armor from the fifteenth century.
Plate armor could stop most arrows but was very heavy.
noununcountablemilitary
Strong metal plating that protects a vehicle, ship or building from weapons.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and used without an article: the tank's armor.
Patterns
- armor on something
The truck was fitted with extra armor on its doors.
Modern warships have thinner armor than older battleships.
The shell failed to pierce the tank's armor.
noununcountablemilitaryspecialist
Military forces that use tanks and other armored vehicles.
Grammar: Takes a singular verb: the armor advanced at dawn.
The general sent in armor to support the infantry.
Heavy armor crossed the river during the night.
noununcountablefigurative
Something that shields a person or an animal, either a natural covering or a protective attitude.
Grammar: Often used figuratively: emotional armor.
Patterns
- armor against something
The turtle's shell is a natural armor.
Her humor was armor against the harsh criticism.
He wore his sarcasm like armor.
Common combinations
- suit of armor
- A suit of armor stood in the hallway.
- body armor
- The officers wore body armor during the raid.
- chink in the armor
- The defense finally found a chink in the champion's armor.
- armor plating
- The vehicle's armor plating was nearly ten centimeters thick.
- shining armor
- The prince in the story wore shining armor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Mail refers to flexible armor made of linked metal rings, so it is narrower than armor.
- plating
- Plating is the metal sheeting itself, usually on vehicles or ships.
- protection
- Protection is general and may be any kind of safeguard, not necessarily a hard covering.
- shield
- A shield is a separate object held in the hand, while armor is worn or fixed on.
Opposites
Word family
- armored adjective
- covered or protected with armor
- armory noun
- a place where weapons are stored
- armorer noun
- a person who makes or repairs armor and weapons
Commonly confused: armor / armour or armature?
armor / armour vs armature
An armature is a framework or a rotating part in an electric motor, not a protective covering.
Practice
The museum has a complete suit of ___ that a medieval knight once wore.
Choose one answer.
Armor is the protective covering worn in battle. An armory stores weapons, an armature is a framework, and an armada is a fleet, so none of them fits a suit worn by a knight.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “armor / armour”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.