Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

up in arms

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.81 in modern English

Syllables: up- in arms
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Angry; incensed; preparing for a fight.

adj

Vigourously protesting against something.

adj

Armed for battle; prepared for or engaged in warfare.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: in the streets"
"The union members are up in arms over threats of pay cuts."
"Lan[caster]. My lord, will you take armes against the king? Bish[op]. What neede I, God himselfe is vp in armes, When violence is offered to the church."
"Allworthy was of a cooler Disposition than the good Woman, whose Spirits were all up in Arms in the Cause of her Friend."
"Is file-sharing, which has the recording industry so up in arms, the “dark side” of open-source attitudes?"
"Many artists are up in arms about the new AI programs — and with good reason. Some are furious that their works have been used as training data without their permission."

Etymology

From a now-obsolete sense of up (“in revolt”).

Phrases

in arms under arms

Frequently Paired Words

in arms under arms

Synonyms

in the streets

Questions

What does up in arms mean?: Angry; incensed; preparing for a fight.
Where does up in arms come from?: From a now-obsolete sense of up (“in revolt”).

How to pronounce up in arms

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “up in arms”.
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