standing army

noun

: a permanent army of paid soldiers

Examples of standing army 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.
The Ukrainian leader also mentioned maintaining the country’s standing army of about one million soldiers and a peacekeeping contingent from European countries, or some combination of these measures. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025 Editors’ Picks 10 Gut Myths, Corrected Are Dental X-Rays Safe? Image With 1.2 million troops, North Korea’s military ranks among the world’s largest standing armies, and its entry into the war was a profound escalation in a war now approaching its fourth year. Marc Santora, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025 China has the most manpower, with the largest standing army in the world. New Atlas, 11 Dec. 2024 What's more, the militias were renamed the National Guard and unconstitutionally transformed from a check on federal power to a second federal standing army. Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for standing army

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of standing army was in 1603

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Standing army.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standing%20army. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on standing army

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!