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Military Dictionary: Military Terms, Acronyms, Slang and Definitions

Search thousands of military terms, acronyms, abbreviations, jargon and slang from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, every one defined in plain English. Official entries are sourced from the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms and current Joint Publications, and the dictionary also covers the pay, benefits, PCS and family terms that no doctrine manual explains.
274 Searchable Entries
47 Acronyms Explained
31 Subject Categories
6 Service Branches

Featured Military Terms Today

Term of the Day
FOB
Acronym
Forward Operating Base
A secured military position used to support tactical operations. A FOB may serve as a staging area for missions, provide medical and logistical facilities, and house service members during operations away from main bases.
Source: JP 3-10 • Geography & Locations
Random Term
Battle Damage Assessment
Term
The estimate of damage composed of physical and functional damage assessment, as well as target system assessment, resulting from the application of lethal or nonlethal military force.
Show Another
Most Searched
Top Acronyms This Week
  • 1. AOR
  • 2. BAH
  • 3. DD-214
  • 4. DEERS
  • 5. FOB

Browse Military Terms and Acronyms A to Z

Showing 12 of 274 total entries
Entry Type
Service Branch
ABCA
Acronym
American, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand
ABCA stands for American, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand. Official DOD military acronym.
Source: DOD Dictionary
Acceptability
Term
The joint operation plan review criterion for assessing whether the contemplated course of action is proportional, worth the cost, consistent with the law of war; and is militarily and politically supportable. See also adequacy; feasibility. (JP 5-0)
Source: JP 5-0
Access
Term
In counterintelligence and intelligence use, a. a way or means of approach to identify a target; or b. exploitable proximity to or ability to approach an individual, facility, or information that enables target to carry out the intended mission. (JP 2-01.2)
Source: JP 2-01.2
Access To Classified Information
Term
The ability and opportunity to obtain knowledge of classified information by persons with the proper security clearance and a need to know of specified classified information. (JP 2-01)
Source: JP 2-01
Accompanying Supplies
Term
Unit supplies that deploy with forces. (JP 4-01.5)
Source: JP 4-01.5
Accountability
Term
The obligation imposed by law or lawful order or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping accurate record of property, documents, or funds. (JP 1)
Source: JP 1
Acoustic Intelligence
Term
Intelligence derived from the collection and processing of acoustic phenomena. Also called ACINT. (JP 2-0)
Source: JP 2-0
Acquisition And Cross-servicing Agreement
Term
Agreement, negotiated on a bilateral basis with United States allies or coalition partners, that allow United States forces to exchange most common types of support, including food, fuel, transportation, ammunition, and equipment. Also called ACSA. See also cross-servicing. (JP 4-08)
Source: JP 4-08
Action Phase
Term
In amphibious operations, the period of time between the arrival of the landing forces of the amphibious force in the operational area and the accomplishment of their mission. See also amphibious force; amphibious operation; landing force; mission. (JP 3-02)
Source: JP 3-02
Activation
Term
Order to active duty (other than for training) in the federal service. See also active duty; federal service. (JP 4-05)
Source: JP 4-05
Active Air Defense
Term
Direct defensive action taken to destroy, nullify, or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air and missile threats against friendly forces and assets. See also air defense. (JP 3-01)
Source: JP 3-01
Active Defense
Term
The employment of limited offensive action and counterattacks to deny a contested area or position to the enemy. See also passive defense. (JP 3-60)
Source: JP 3-60
Page 1 of 23 · 274 total entries

Military Terms by Category

Pay and benefits, operations, rank and structure, PCS and travel, training, medical, intelligence and more, grouped by subject so related terms sit together.
View All Categories
Air & Aviation
30
Aircraft ops, airspace, air defense
CBRN & Hazards
2
Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear
Communications & Alphabets
1
NATO alphabet, radio bands, SATCOM
Communications & Cyber
1
Comms systems, EW, cyberspace operations
Counter-WMD & EOD
1
Countering WMD, EOD, counter-IED
Daily Life
3
Military time, Zulu time
Engineering & Geospatial
1
Combat engineering, GEOINT, terrain
Family Assistance
4
CACO, SBP, DIC, Wounded Warrior
Family Designations
0
Blue Star, Gold Star, military brat
Family Support
3
FRG, EFMP, MFLC, MyCAA, MSEP
Force Protection
2
Antiterrorism, security, access control
General Military
20
Cross-branch terms used across the force
Page 1 of 3 · 31 categories

Military Terms by Service Branch

Each branch has its own acronyms, jargon and slang. Browse Army terms, Navy lingo, Marine Corps slang, Air Force acronyms, Space Force terminology and Coast Guard terms in one place.
View All Branches

U.S. Army

202 terms
Browse U.S. Army entries →

U.S. Navy

199 terms
Browse U.S. Navy entries →

U.S. Air Force

200 terms
Browse U.S. Air Force entries →

U.S. Marine Corps

201 terms
Browse U.S. Marine Corps entries →

U.S. Space Force

186 terms
Browse U.S. Space Force entries →

U.S. Coast Guard

190 terms
Browse U.S. Coast Guard entries →

Most Searched Military Terms and Acronyms

The acronyms, slang and definitions people look up most often on My Military Lifestyle, from PCS and TDY to CONUS, MOS and FOB.
AOR

Area of Responsibility

BAH

Basic Allowance for Housing

DD-214

Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty

DEERS

Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System

FOB

Forward Operating Base

JAG

Judge Advocate General

About the My Military Lifestyle Military Dictionary

The My Military Lifestyle Military Dictionary is a free, searchable reference for the language of the United States Armed Forces. It is built for service members, veterans, military spouses and families, recruits reading their first contract, students, journalists and anyone else who has run into a military term, acronym or piece of slang and wants it explained in plain English.

Official military terms and acronyms are sourced from the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, the publication the Joint Staff maintains to standardize terminology across every branch, along with current Joint Publications, service field manuals and regulations, the Joint Travel Regulations, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and Department of Defense Instructions. Every official entry lists the publication it comes from, so you can trace a definition back to the source.

Doctrine is only part of military language. Service members speak in jargon that never appears in a Joint Publication, and families live with a vocabulary of pay, benefits, housing, health care and relocation terms that the DoD Dictionary does not cover at all. The dictionary includes both. Branch-specific jargon and slang are contributed by active duty members and veterans and are clearly labeled as unofficial, and the family and lifestyle layer covers the terms that come up at the finance office, the housing office, the clinic and the moving truck.

Every entry is tagged by type, service branch and subject category, and related terms are linked to each other, so a search for one acronym leads naturally to the terms around it. Use the A to Z index to browse, the category and branch glossaries to explore a subject, or the search bar to go straight to a definition.

What the Military Dictionary Includes
  • Official military terms. Doctrine, operations and planning vocabulary as defined in current Department of Defense publications, each entry citing its source.
  • Military acronyms and abbreviations. Thousands of acronyms and initialisms expanded, defined and put in context, including the ones that mean different things in different branches.
  • Service-specific jargon. Terminology unique to the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard that does not appear in joint publications.
  • Military slang and sayings. The informal phrases used in the barracks, on deployment and across military culture, labeled as unofficial so they are never confused with doctrine.
  • Pay, benefits and personnel terms. BAH, BAS, COLA, ETS, PCS, TDY, LES and the rest of the vocabulary that shows up on your pay statement and your orders.
  • Military family and lifestyle terms. DEERS, TRICARE, EFMP, MyCAA, Space-A, Gold Star and the other terms spouses, parents and dependents need to know.

How to Read a Military Dictionary Entry

Every entry follows the same layout, so once you have read one you can read them all.
FOB
Acronym
Forward Operating Base
A secured military position used to support tactical operations. A FOB may serve as a staging area for missions, provide medical and logistical facilities, and house service members during operations away from main bases.
Source: JP 3-10•Geography & Locations
Term
The word, phrase, acronym or abbreviation you searched for.
Type Badge
Shows whether the entry is an official term, an acronym or unofficial slang.
Expansion
The full spelled-out form of an acronym or initialism.
Definition
The plain English meaning, written so it makes sense without a military background.
Source
The official Department of Defense publication the definition comes from, or a contributor label for slang.
Branch and Category
The services the term applies to and the subject area it belongs to, each linked to its glossary.

Military Dictionary FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about military terms, acronyms, slang and where the definitions come from.

A military dictionary is a reference that defines the terms, acronyms, abbreviations and slang used by the armed forces. The My Military Lifestyle Military Dictionary combines official Department of Defense terminology with service-specific jargon, informal slang and the pay, benefits and family terms that matter in daily military life, all explained in plain English.

Official terms and acronyms are drawn from the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, current Joint Publications, service regulations, the Joint Travel Regulations, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and Department of Defense Instructions. Each official entry lists its source publication. Slang and informal jargon are contributed by service members and veterans and are clearly labeled, so you always know which kind of entry you are reading.

A military term is a word or phrase with an official doctrinal meaning, such as forward operating base. An acronym or initialism is the shortened form, such as FOB. Slang is informal language that service members use but that does not appear in official publications, such as calling a new arrival a boot. The dictionary labels every entry by type so you can tell them apart at a glance.

PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station. It is the official relocation of a service member, along with eligible family members and household goods, from one permanent duty station to another. A PCS move comes with travel entitlements and temporary lodging allowances, and it is different from TDY, which is a temporary assignment away from your permanent station.

CONUS means the continental United States, the contiguous states plus the District of Columbia. OCONUS means outside the continental United States and includes Alaska, Hawaii, United States territories and every overseas location. The distinction matters because pay, allowances, travel entitlements and assignment rules differ between the two.

MOS stands for Military Occupational Specialty, the code the Army and Marine Corps use to identify a specific job or career field. The Air Force and Space Force use the Air Force Specialty Code, or AFSC, and the Navy and Coast Guard use ratings. You can look up individual specialty codes and ratings in the dictionary.

Yes. The dictionary includes terminology from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, plus the joint terms shared across all of them. Every entry is tagged by branch, and the branch glossaries let you browse Army acronyms, Navy terms, Air Force acronyms, Marine Corps slang and more in one place.

Type the acronym into the search bar and the dictionary returns the expansion, the plain English definition and the source publication. Many acronyms have more than one meaning depending on the branch or context, so each expansion is listed separately with its own entry.

Yes. Service members, veterans and military families can submit new terms, slang and corrections through the contribution form on this page. Submissions are reviewed before they are published, and unofficial entries are labeled as slang or jargon so they are never confused with official doctrine.

Yes. The dictionary is free to search and browse with no account required. A free My Military Lifestyle account adds member benefits such as verified military discounts and saved resources, but it is never required to use the dictionary.

More Military Reference Tools

Keep going with the rank, pay, time and base references that the dictionary links to throughout.

Military Rank Structure

Every rank in all six branches by pay grade, with insignia, so you can match the abbreviations you find here to the chain of command.

View Ranks

Military Pay Chart

Current basic pay by rank and years of service, the place to go after you have looked up BAH, BAS and the rest of your LES.

View Pay Chart

Military Time Chart

Convert between standard and twenty-four hour time, with the phonetic alphabet and Zulu time explained alongside the chart.

View Time Chart

Military Base Database

A searchable directory of installations worldwide with branch, location and mission details for your next PCS.

Browse Bases

Military Discounts

Verified military discounts from brands that support the community, with members-only offers for free My Military Lifestyle accounts.

Browse Discounts

Military Life Articles

Longer reads on the terms that need more than a definition, from what a warrant officer does to how a PCS move actually works.

Read Articles
Community Contributions
Know a term we are missing?
Service members, veterans and military families keep this dictionary honest. Submit a new term, a piece of unit slang or a correction and we will review it before it goes live.
Submit a Military Term

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