Basic Details
Word: Army
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A large organised group of soldiers trained to fight on land. It can also mean a very large group of people or things, as in an army of ants.
Synonyms: troops, force, host
How to Spell Army
Syllables: ar - my
Tricky part: It ends in a plain y, with no e. For more than one army, the y changes: armies.
Watch out for: armey, armie
Memory tip: There is an arm inside army: arm + y. Soldiers carry arms, which is another word for weapons.
Idioms and Phrases
- An army marches on its stomach: People cannot work or fight well unless they are properly fed. Example: "Before the trek, our teacher said an army marches on its stomach and packed extra parathas for everyone."
Usage Examples
Example 1: My uncle joined the army after finishing college.
Example 2: An army of ants carried away the sugar we spilt on the floor.
Example 3: The army built a temporary bridge across the river in two days after the floods.
Fun Fact
The Indian Army marks Army Day on 15 January, the day in 1949 when General K. M. Cariappa became its first Indian Commander-in-Chief.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. battalion 2. lieutenant 3. regiment 4. armey
a) a large group of soldiers forming part of a brigade
b) a large organised group of soldiers who fight on land
c) a permanent unit of an army, usually led by a colonel
d) an officer just below a captain
Show answer
b) a large organised group of soldiers who fight on land. Armey has an extra e; army is simply arm with a y.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to army as used in the sentence:
The army moved its tanks to the border before dawn.
a) police
b) troops
c) navy
d) citizens
Show answer
b) troops. Here army means soldiers on land, so troops is closest; the navy fights at sea.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The yram set up a field hospital for the cyclone victims in Odisha.
a) airy
b) army
c) arms
d) marry
Show answer
b) army. Only army uses a, r, m and y once each; marry has two r's and arms has an s.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the plural of army?
a) armyes
b) armeys
c) armies
d) armys
Show answer
c) armies
2. In the phrase an army of volunteers, army means ____.
a) a uniform
b) soldiers with guns
c) a small team
d) a large number of people
Show answer
d) a large number of people
