arm

arm¹ W1S1 [a:m US a:rm] n

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1¦(body)¦

2¦(weapons)¦

3¦(furniture)¦

4¦(clothing)¦

5 be up in arms

6 with open arms

7 somebody would give their right arm to do something

8 hold something at arm's length

9 keep/hold somebody at arm's length

10 as long as your arm

11¦(part of group)¦

12¦(object/machine)¦

13 on somebody's arm

14¦(design)¦

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[Sense: 1, 3-4, 6-13; Origin: Old English earm]

[Sense: 2,5,14; Date: 1100-1200; : Old French; Origin: armes (plural), from Latin arma]

1.) ¦(BODY)¦

one of the two long parts of your body between your shoulders and your hands

▪ Dave has a broken arm .

left/right arm

▪ He had a tattoo on his left arm.

▪ Tim's mother put her arms around him.

▪ Pat was carrying a box under his arm .

▪ He had a pile of books in his arms .

▪ They walked along the beach arm in arm (=with their arms bent around each other's) .

take sb by the arm

(=lead someone somewhere by holding their arm)

▪ She took him by the arm and pushed him out of the door.

take sb in your arms

(=gently hold someone with your arms)

▪ Gerry took Fiona in his arms and kissed her.

cross/fold your arms

(=bend your arms so that they are resting on top of each other against your body)

▪ He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

▪ The old lady rushed to greet him, arms outstretched .

2.) ¦(WEAPONS)¦

arms [plural]

weapons used for fighting wars

▪ Sales of arms to the Middle East have dramatically increased.

nuclear arms

▪ the arms trade

▪ an arms dealer

▪ The government is cutting arms expenditure.

▪ The United Nations will lift its arms embargo against the country.

take up arms (against sb)

(=get weapons and fight)

▪ Boys as young as 13 are taking up arms to defend the city.

▪ He appealed for the rebels to lay down their arms (=stop fighting) .

under arms

(=with weapons and ready to fight)

▪ All available forces are under arms.

→small arms at ↑small¹ (15)

↑arm, ↑cushion, ↑leg

3.) ¦(FURNITURE)¦

the part of a chair, ↑sofa etc that you rest your arms on

4.) ¦(CLOTHING)¦

the part of a piece of clothing that covers your arm

= ↑sleeve

5.) be up in arms

to be very angry and ready to argue or fight

▪ Residents are up in arms about plans for a new road along the beach.

6.) with open arms

if you do something with open arms, you show that you are happy to see someone or eager to accept an idea, plan etc

▪ We welcomed Henry's offer with open arms .

▪ My new in-laws accepted me with open arms .

7.) sb would give their right arm to do sth

used to say that someone would be willing to do anything to get or do something because they want it very much

▪ I'd give my right arm to be 21 again.

8.) hold sth at arm's length

to hold something away from your body

9.) keep/hold sb at arm's length

to avoid developing a relationship with someone

▪ Petra keeps all men at arm's length to avoid getting hurt.

10.) as long as your arm informal

a list or written document that is as long as your arm is very long

▪ I've got a list of things to do as long as your arm.

11.) ¦(PART OF GROUP)¦

a part of a large group that is responsible for a particular type of activity

▪ the political arm of a terrorist organization

▪ Epson America is the US marketing arm of a Japanese company.

12.) ¦(OBJECT/MACHINE)¦

a long part of an object or piece of equipment

▪ the arm of a record player

▪ There is a 15-foot arm supporting the antenna.

13.) on sb's arm

old-fashioned if a man has a woman on his arm, she is walking beside him holding his arm

14.) ¦(DESIGN)¦

arms [plural]

a set of pictures or patterns, usually painted on a ↑shield, that is used as the special sign of a family, town, university etc

= ↑coat of arms

→arms akimbo at ↑akimbo, babe in arms at ↑babe, brothers in arms at ↑brother¹ (6), cost an arm and a leg at ↑cost² (1), fold sb/sth in your arms at ↑fold¹ (7), twist sb's arm at ↑twist¹ (9)

arm ²

arm² v [T]

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: armer, from Latin armare, from arma; ARM¹]

1.) to provide weapons for yourself, an army, a country etc in order to prepare for a fight or a war

arm sb with sth

▪ The local farmers have armed themselves with rifles and pistols.

▪ The rebels armed a group of 2000 men to attack the city.

→↑armed, ↑unarmed

2.) to provide all the information, skills, or equipment you need to do something

= ↑equip arm sb with sth

▪ Arm yourself with all the facts you need to argue your case.

▪ The guidebook arms the reader with a mass of useful information.