arsenal

/ˈɑːsənl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɑːrsənl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈärs-nəl ˈär-sə-/ (ame, mw)

arsenal — noun

  • arsenalsingular
  • arsenalsplural

1. the total set of weapons, missiles, or military equipment that a country, group,

1.名詞C1
釋義

the total set of weapons, missiles, or military equipment that a country, group, or armed force keeps ready for use, or the building where such weapons are kept and sometimes built.

例句

North Korea has steadily expanded its nuclear arsenal over the past decade.

[country]'s nuclear arsenal — total weapons stock

Soldiers guarded the old arsenal on the edge of town day and night.

physical building sense

同義詞
  • stockpile

    neutral; emphasises the quantity stored, not the building

  • armoury

    British spelling; mainly the room or building where weapons are kept

  • armory

    American spelling of armoury

  • cache

    smaller, often hidden store of weapons

文法句型

arsenal of [weapons]

[country]'s nuclear arsenal

用法筆記

Often modified by a weapon type (nuclear, chemical, missile) or by a possessor (the country, the army, the militia). When the meaning is the building, the noun is usually preceded by 'the' or 'an' and a location follows.

常見錯誤

❌The army has an arsenal weapon.
✅The army has an arsenal of weapons.
💡'arsenal' is the whole stock; use 'arsenal of' before the items.
❌They built a new arsenal of factory.
✅They built a new arsenal.
💡the building sense already includes the idea of weapons; no extra noun is needed.

2. a large and impressive supply of resources, skills, arguments, or techniques tha

2.名詞C1
釋義

a large and impressive supply of resources, skills, arguments, or techniques that someone can draw on to deal with a task or challenge.

例句

Greta brought a whole arsenal of cooking tricks to the family reunion in Kaohsiung.

an arsenal of + skills/techniques

The lawyer had an arsenal of arguments ready before the judge entered the courtroom.

arsenal of arguments — debate context

同義詞
  • repertoire

    favoured for skills, performances, or techniques one can perform

  • toolkit

    more practical and modern; emphasises ready-to-use methods

  • array

    neutral; stresses variety rather than readiness

文法句型

an arsenal of + plural noun

用法筆記

Almost always appears as 'an arsenal of' followed by a plural noun naming the resources. The figurative use carries a positive tone of being well-prepared, unlike sense 1, which describes literal weapons.

常見錯誤

❌She has an arsenal of patience.
✅She has an arsenal of calming techniques.
💡the figurative sense needs countable, plural resources, not an abstract mass noun.
❌He used his arsenal to win the debate.
✅He used his arsenal of facts to win the debate.
💡without 'of + plural noun', readers default to the literal weapons sense.