standing army

NOUN

regular army

Synonyms

WEAK

active forces career soldiers permanent army professional army professional soldiers regulars

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed, the need for a large standing army seemed like a thing of the past.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Founders worried that the U.S. could be undermined by a powerful standing army.

From The Wall Street Journal

It commits a higher proportion of GDP to defense than any other EU member, and maintains the bloc’s largest standing army.

From The Wall Street Journal

Today the country has its smallest standing army since the Napoleonic wars.

From The Wall Street Journal

Israel has a relatively small standing army and relies on its reservists during times of war.

From The Wall Street Journal