arm to the teeth

verb

To equip thoroughly with weapons.

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Meanings

verbarm to the teeth (third-person singular simple present arms to the teeth, present participle arming to the teeth, simple past and past participle armed to the teeth)

present singular third person arms to the teeth · participle present arming to the teeth · participle past armed to the teeth · past armed to the teeth

  1. idiomaticinformalintransitivetransitiveTo equip thoroughly with weapons.

    There, on the ramparts of the forts, stood Nicholas Koorn, armed to the teeth, flourishing a brass-hilted sword.

    1809, Washington Irving, chapter 33, in Knickerbocker's History of New York
    2 more examples

    Who can murmur sweet nothings to his adored when two soldiers armed to the teeth have been instructed never to let him out of their sight?

    1910, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 15, in Queen Sheba's Ring

    Both sides armed the Taiwan Strait to the teeth, turning it into one of Asia's most dangerous military flash points.

    2009 May 25, Michael Schuman, “Building Bridges to China”, in Time

Translations

Catalan anar armat fins a les dents
  • anar armat fins a les dentsto equip with weapons
Chinese Mandarin 武裝到牙齒 /武装到牙齿
  • 武裝到牙齒 /武装到牙齿 (wǔzhuāng dào yáchǐ)to equip with weapons
Danish bevæbnet til tændene
  • bevæbnet til tændeneto equip with weapons
Dutch tot de tanden gewapend
  • tot de tanden gewapendto equip with weapons
Finnish aseistaa hampaisiin saakka
  • aseistaa hampaisiin saakkato equip with weapons
French armer jusqu'aux dents
  • armer jusqu'aux dentsto equip with weapons
German bis an die Zähne bewaffnet sein
  • bis an die Zähne bewaffnet seinto equip with weapons
Greek οπλίζω σαν αστακό
  • οπλίζω σαν αστακό (oplízo san astakó)to equip with weapons
Hebrew חימש מכף רגל ועד ראש, חימש עד האוזניים
  • חימש מכף רגל ועד ראשto equip with weapons
  • חימש עד האוזנייםto equip with weapons
  • חימש עד השינייםto equip with weapons
  • חימש עד הצווארto equip with weapons
Norwegian Bokmål væpnet til tennene
  • væpnet til tenneneto equip with weapons
Polish uzbroić po zęby
  • uzbroić po zębyto equip with weapons
Portuguese armar até os dentes, armar até aos dentes
  • armar até os dentesto equip with weapons
  • armar até aos dentesto equip with weapons
Romanian înarma până în dinți
  • înarma până în dințito equip with weapons
Russian вооружи́ть до зубо́в
  • вооружи́ть до зубо́в (vooružítʹ do zubóv)to equip with weapons
Spanish armar hasta los dientes
  • armar hasta los dientesto equip with weapons
Swedish beväpnad till tänderna
  • beväpnad till tändernato equip with weapons
Cite this entry
APA

arm to the teeth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arm%20to%20the%20teeth

MLA

“arm to the teeth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arm%20to%20the%20teeth. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “arm to the teeth,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arm%20to%20the%20teeth.

Source: arm to the teeth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.