armor
gb/ˈɑɹmɚ/ us/ˈɑɹmɚ/
B2
English
~ 9000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
protective clothing worn in combat
very strong clothing that protects the body from bullets, knives, and other weapons
Usage pattern:
to wear [armor]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the spelling: American English uses "armor" and British English uses "armour". Many learners also say "armor suit" instead of the fixed phrase "suit of armor". In addition, "armor" is usually uncountable ("some armor", "a piece of armor"), except in set phrases like "a suit of armor".
Synonyms
protective gear (broader; includes helmets, pads, and other equipment, not only heavy combat clothing)
Antonyms
unprotected (describes being without any protective covering on the body)
Collocations
body armor
|wear armor
|suit of armor
|full armor
|protective armor
|plate armor
Themes
war
|safety
|law
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The police officers put on body armor before entering the building.
- The museum displays a medieval suit of armor in the main hall.
- Modern soldiers rely on lightweight armor that can stop rifle rounds.
- He designed special armor for the superhero costume in the movie.
- Without proper armor, the troops would be extremely vulnerable to roadside bombs.
Learner examples
- The guard wears heavy armor on his chest.
- Knights in the past wore metal armor.
- The officer never goes on duty without his body armor.
- This game lets you buy better armor for your character.
- The old armor in the castle is very hard and heavy.
Noun
C1
entity
2
protective outer layer on vehicles
a hard covering on cars, tanks, or buildings that protects them from weapons
Usage pattern:
the armor on [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that in this sense "armor" is usually uncountable and refers to the material or layer, not separate pieces. We say "extra armor", not "two armors" on a vehicle.
Synonyms
armor plating (more specific to flat metal plates used as protective covering)
Antonyms
unarmored (describes vehicles or structures that lack protective plating)
Collocations
thick armor
|heavy armor
|tank armor
|steel armor
|armor plating
|hull armor
Themes
war
|technology
|transportation
|law
Examples
- The tank's front armor is thick enough to stop most shells.
- Engineers added extra armor to the sides of the troop carriers.
- The vehicle's armor was badly damaged by the explosion.
- They tested new composite armor on the prototype armored car.
- Naval designers reduced the ship's armor to make it faster.
Learner examples
- The truck has no armor on the doors.
- They put more armor on the front of the tank.
- The armor on this car is made of strong steel.
- Extra armor protects the windows of the bank.
- The old bus was changed into a car with armor.
Noun
C1
entity
3
emotional or psychological protection
the way a person protects their feelings so other people cannot easily hurt them
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s emotional armor
Common mistake:
Learners may think this use is always literal. In phrases like "emotional armor" or "take off your armor" about feelings, the word describes mental protection, not physical metal clothing.
Synonyms
defenses (a broader, more general term for emotional or psychological protection)
Antonyms
openness (describes a willing state of showing true feelings without protective barriers)
Collocations
emotional armor
|psychological armor
|put on armor
|drop your armor
|behind his armor
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Over the years she built up a thick armor to hide her fear of rejection.
- Therapy helped him lower his emotional armor and talk about his pain.
- Behind his calm smile, you can sense the armor he wears to get through the day.
- Humor was his armor against embarrassment and shame.
- In close relationships, we slowly take off our armor and let people see who we really are.
Learner examples
- He uses jokes as armor so people cannot see his sadness.
- She wears emotional armor and does not show her true feelings.
- In the meeting, he kept his armor on and did not share his ideas.
- Over time, he took off his armor and trusted his friends.
- Her smile is like armor that hides her worries.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
4
tanks and armored vehicles collectively
tanks and other strong military vehicles, spoken of as one group
Usage pattern:
[armor] moves into [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners may think "armor" here means clothing, but in military reports like "enemy armor moved north", it refers to tanks and similar vehicles, not what soldiers wear.
Synonyms
armored forces (more explicit; clearly mentions forces made of armored vehicles)
Antonyms
infantry (soldiers fighting on foot rather than in armored vehicles)
Collocations
enemy armor
|heavy armor
|armor units
|armor division
|columns of armor
|armor support
Themes
war
|military
|law
|travel
|transportation
Examples
- Enemy armor advanced rapidly across the open field.
- The general requested more armor to support the infantry attack.
- Columns of armor rolled toward the city at dawn.
- Their armor was delayed, leaving the front line exposed.
- Light armor moved ahead to scout the road for ambushes.
Learner examples
- The army sent its armor to the border.
- Enemy armor moved into the town at night.
- Our soldiers waited for armor before they attacked.
- The general said the armor would arrive in the morning.
- Without armor, the troops felt very unsafe.
Noun
C1
entity
5
hard protective covering of animals
a hard natural covering on an animal that keeps it safe from other animals or harm
Usage pattern:
the armor of [an animal]
Common mistake:
Learners may only know "armor" for people or machines and not recognize it in biology texts, where it can describe natural protective structures like shells or bony plates.
Synonyms
exoskeleton (technical; usually for insects and similar animals with a full outer skeleton)
Antonyms
soft body (describes animals that lack a hard protective covering)
Collocations
bony armor
|thick armor
|natural armor
|protective armor
|armor plates
Themes
animals
|science
|nature
|body
Examples
- The armadillo curls into a ball, using its armor to protect its soft belly.
- Some dinosaurs had heavy armor made of bony plates along their backs.
- The turtle’s shell acts as armor against predators.
- The insect’s tough outer armor makes it difficult for birds to eat.
- Fish in this family evolved thick armor to survive in rough waters.
Learner examples
- The crab has strong armor on its back.
- A turtle uses its shell as armor.
- The armadillo’s armor keeps it safe from dogs.
- Some fish have hard armor on their skin.
- This small animal has no armor and must hide to live.
Verb
technical
C2
action
6
to provide something with armor
to put strong protective material on something so it cannot be easily hurt or broken
Usage pattern:
to armor [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "armor" only as a noun and may not recognize or produce the verb form, especially in phrases like "to armor a vehicle".
Synonyms
reinforce (broader; means make stronger, not always by adding protective armor)
Antonyms
expose (to leave something without protection so it can be harmed)
Collocations
armor a vehicle
|armor the car
|heavily armored
|armored against attack
|armor the cockpit
Themes
war
|technology
|law
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They plan to armor the trucks before sending them into the conflict zone.
- The company specializes in armoring luxury cars for high-risk clients.
- Engineers are working to armor the cockpit door against small explosives.
- The vehicle was poorly armored and suffered heavy damage in the blast.
- New regulations require banks to armor their cash transport vans.
Learner examples
- They will armor the car for the president.
- The company armors trucks for use in war.
- We need to armor the door to stop bullets.
- They armored the bus so it is safer.
- The pilot sits in a seat that is carefully armored.
Grammar
Dictionary form
armor
IPA
GB/ˈɑɹmɚ/
US/ˈɑɹmɚ/
Syllables & stress
ar - mor (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (ar)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: armor
- Plural: armor
Word family
Core family
armored
adjective
Related words
armory
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unarmored
adjective
Advanced or less common
armorer
noun
Expressions
a chink in someone's armor
1/ə t͡ʃˈɪŋk ˈɪn sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈɑɹmɚ/
idiom
small but important weakness
a small weakness in a person or thing that seems very strong or perfect
Examples
- His impatience with children is the one chink in his armor.
- The data leak revealed a serious chink in the company’s armor.
- Her tendency to overtrust people is a chink in her otherwise strong armor.
body armor
1/bˈɑdi ˈɑɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
protective clothing for the torso
special strong clothing that covers the body and protects it from bullets or other weapons
Examples
- All officers are required to wear body armor during the operation.
- The journalist was given body armor before entering the war zone.
- Modern body armor is lighter and more flexible than older designs.
emotional armor
1/ɪmˈoʊʃənəl ˈɑɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
mental protection from emotional hurt
the ways a person protects their feelings so that other people cannot easily hurt them
Examples
- She wears emotional armor at work and never talks about her private life.
- Over time he learned to take off his emotional armor with close friends.
- Humor became his emotional armor after the divorce.
strip away someone's armor
1/stɹˈɪp əwˈeɪ sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈɑɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
literary
remove emotional defenses
to make someone lose their usual emotional protection so that their true feelings are easy to see
Examples
- The conversation slowly stripped away his armor and he began to cry.
- Living alone in a new country stripped away her armor of confidence.
- The film strips away the main character’s armor and shows his deep fears.
suit of armor
1/sˈut əv ˈɑɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
full set of metal armor
a complete set of metal armor that covers a person from head to foot, like knights wore in the past
Examples
- A dusty suit of armor stood in the corner of the old hall.
- The museum has a fifteenth-century suit of armor on display.
- He rented a suit of armor for the historical festival.
knight in shining armor
1/nˈaɪt ˈɪn ʃˈaɪnɪŋ ˈɑɹmɚ/
idiom
ideal man who rescues someone
A man who appears and helps someone out of big trouble in a very brave and romantic way, like a hero in a story.
Examples
- She was hoping for a knight in shining armor to pay off her debts, but she knew that was unrealistic.
- When my car broke down in the rain, a stranger stopped like a knight in shining armor and helped me fix it.
- When her car broke down, her neighbor turned out to be a real knight in shining armor.
- She’s always waiting for a knight in shining armor instead of solving her own problems.
- He wants to be her knight in shining armor, but she prefers to solve her own problems.
- His offer to pay the medical bills made him seem like a knight in shining armor to the family.