INDEX:
1. the army, navy etc
2. someone who is in the army, navy etc
3. used by or connected with the army, navy etc
4. to join the army, navy etc
5. when people are made to join the army, navy etc
RELATED WORDS
leave the army, navy etc : ↑ LEAVE
see also
↑ WAR
↑ WEAPON
↑ ATTACK
↑ FIGHT
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1. the army, navy etc
▷ army /ˈɑːʳmi/ [countable noun]
a large organized group of people trained to fight on land in a war :
the army
▪ Units of the Nigerian army were quickly sent to the border.
in the army
▪ My sons are both in the army.
raise an army
collect and organize an army to fight a battle
▪ In 1066 William the Conqueror raised an army and invaded England.
▷ navy /ˈneɪvi/ [countable noun]
the part of a country’s military forces that is trained for fighting a war at sea :
the navy
▪ It was an important battle for the navy.
in the navy
▪ My father was in the navy during the war.
▷ airforce also air force American /ˈeəʳfɔːʳs/ [countable noun]
the part of a country’s military forces that is trained for fighting a war in the air :
▪ The French have a very powerful airforce.
the airforce
▪ The airforce played a huge part in the Kosovo conflict.
in the airforce
▪ My brother and sister are both in the airforce.
▷ the military /ðə ˈmɪlə̇t ə riǁ-teri/ [] especially American
the army, navy, and air force of a country :
▪ The military may be sent in to deal with the riots.
▪ a company that supplies electronic equipment to the military
▷ the armed forces /ði ˌɑːʳmd ˈfɔːʳsə̇z/ [plural noun]
the army, navy, and airforce of a country :
▪ A new government minister is now responsible for the armed forces.
▪ Measures will be taken to help modernize the country’s armed forces.
▷ forces /ˈfɔːʳsɪz, ˈfɔːʳsəz/ [plural noun]
groups of soldiers from a country’s army, navy, and airforce :
▪ The town was captured by Italian forces under the command of General Ciano.
▪ The United States placed its forces in the region on alert.
▪ Ground forces were wiped out by the air attack.
▷ the services also the service American /ðə ˈsɜːʳvə̇sə̇(z)/ [plural noun]
the army, navy, and airforce - use this especially when talking about someone having a job in the army etc :
be in the service(s)
▪ Camp Lejune was the first place I was stationed when I was in the service.
go into the services
▪ The family has a tradition of going into the services.
▷ the Marines/the Marine Corps /ðə məˈriːnz, ðə məˈriːn kɔːʳ/ [plural noun]
a specially trained part of the US armed forces :
▪ A special force of 500 US Marines has been sent to the area.
▪ I have a 25-year-old brother who’s in the Marine Corps.
2. someone who is in the army, navy etc
▷ serviceman/servicewoman /ˈsɜːʳvɪsmən, ˈsɜːʳvəsmən, ˈsɜːʳvə̇sˌwʊmən/ [countable noun]
a man or woman who is in an army, navy etc :
▪ The ceremony was held to honour the tens of thousands of servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives in the war.
▪ Four Australian servicemen were reported missing after the ambush.
▪ a tribute to the bravery of our servicemen and -women
▷ soldier /ˈsəʊldʒəʳ/ [countable noun]
a member of an army, especially someone who is not an officer :
▪ Moore has been a soldier for most of his adult life.
▪ There were several soldiers guarding the main gate.
▷ troops /truːps/ [plural noun]
soldiers - use this especially to talk about soldiers taking part in a military attack :
▪ Thousands of French troops died in the attack.
▪ The President is sending three hundred troops to the area.
▷ sailor /ˈseɪləʳ/ [countable noun]
a member of the navy :
▪ Janet married a sailor in the French navy.
▪ Two thousand British sailors lost their lives when the ship went down.
▷ airman /ˈeəʳmən/ [countable noun]
a member of the airforce :
▪ Three airmen were killed during the battle.
▷ officer /ˈɒfɪsəʳ, ˈɒfəsəʳǁˈɔː-, ˈɑː-/
a high-ranking member of the army, navy etc, who is in charge of a group of soldiers, sailors etc :
▪ He’s an officer in the US Marines.
commanding officer
the officer in charge
▪ Colonel Gary G. Mahle is the commanding officer here.
3. used by or connected with the army, navy etc
▷ military /ˈmɪlɪt ə ri, ˈmɪlət ə riǁ-teri/ [adjective only before noun]
used by or connected with the army, navy, or airforce, especially the army :
▪ The President visited a military cemetery at Bitburg.
▪ China reportedly planned to sell military equipment to Saudi Arabia.
▪ Peres said the military campaign would last as long as it took to secure the country’s northern border.
▷ army /ˈɑːʳmi/ [adjective only before noun]
connected with or used by the army :
▪ There’s an American army base nearby.
▪ An army jeep was parked outside their house.
▪ Army officers have overthrown the government in a well planned coup d'état.
▷ naval /ˈneɪv ə l/ [adjective only before noun]
connected with or used by the navy :
▪ His orders were to protect the port from naval attack.
▪ a huge Chinese naval base
▪ Stedman spent nine months recovering in a naval hospital.
▷ air /eəʳ/ [adjective only before noun]
connected with or used by the airforce :
▪ The island’s defences have been badly damaged by recent air attacks.
▪ Ground forces will be backed up by NATO air power.
4. to join the army, navy etc
▷ join /dʒɔɪn/ [transitive verb]
join the army/navy/airforce/marines
to become a member of the army, navy etc :
▪ He wants to join the air force when he finishes school.
▪ Frank lied about his age in order to join the army.
▷ join up /ˌdʒɔɪn ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to join the armed forces, especially during a war :
▪ My dad joined up at the beginning of the war.
▷ enlist /ɪnˈlɪst/ [intransitive verb]
to join the armed forces, either in peace time or during a war :
▪ By the end of 1915, over 700,000 men had enlisted.
enlist in
▪ Frank enlisted in the marines at the age of 19.
5. when people are made to join the army, navy etc
▷ conscription // also the draft /kənˈskrpʃ ə n, ðə ˈdrɑːftǁ-ˈdræft/ [uncountable noun] American
when people are officially ordered to join the armed forces, especially during a war :
▪ When was conscription introduced in Britain?
avoid/dodge the draft
▪ Many young men went abroad to avoid the draft.
▷ be conscripted /biː kənˈskrɪptə̇d/ [verb phrase]
if someone is conscripted, they are made to join the armed forces by law :
▪ Some of the men were volunteers, but most of them had been conscripted.
be conscripted into the army/the armed forces etc
▪ Many of the young soldiers who were conscripted into the army in World War I did not want to fight.
▷ military service /national service British /ˌmɪlɪt ə ri ˈsɜːʳvə̇sǁ-teri-, ˌnæʃ ə nəl ˈsɜːʳvə̇s/ [uncountable noun]
the system in which everyone has to be a member of the armed forces for a period of time :
▪ All males between the ages of 18 and 60 were liable for military service.
▪ My father was exempted from military service on the grounds of ill health.
▪ My father was posted to Germany during his national service, and that’s where he met my mother.
do military service
▪ Did you have to do military service?
▷ be called up British be drafted American /bi ˌkɔːld ˈʌp, biː ˈdrɑːftə̇dǁ-ˈdræf-/ [verb phrase]
to be officially ordered to join the armed forces during a war :
▪ I was called up three months after the First World War broke out.
▪ Thousands of young Americans were drafted to fight in the war in Vietnam.