Definition

Noun: 1. A military vehicle designed to transport infantry troops while providing protection from small arms fire and shell fragments: An armoured personnel carrier is a tracked or wheeled vehicle that moves soldiers on the battlefield. Its primary purpose is safe transportation, not direct combat, though it is often lightly armed for self-defense.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The infantry squad disembarked from the armoured personnel carrier under covering fire.
  • Modern armies use armoured personnel carriers to increase the mobility and protection of their foot soldiers.
  • The convoy consisted of three tanks followed by two armoured personnel carriers.

Advanced Usage

• "APC": This is the standard and widely used abbreviation for "armoured personnel carrier."
  • The platoon leader radioed that the APCs were approaching the rally point.
• The term is often used in contrast to other military vehicles like Main Battle Tanks (heavier, designed for direct fire) or Infantry Fighting Vehicles (designed to transport infantry provide substantial direct fire support).

Variants and Related Words

• Armored personnel carrier: The American English spelling variant, using a single 'l' in "armored."
• Troop carrier: A more general term that can include less-protected vehicles.
• Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV): A related but distinct class of vehicle with heavier armament, designed to let infantry fight from within the vehicle.

Synonyms

• APC (Abbreviation)
• Armored troop carrier
• Battle taxi (Informal military slang)

Related Phrases

• "Mounted infantry": Infantry troops who are transported by vehicles like APCs, as opposed to "dismounted infantry" who are on foot.
  • The mounted infantry used their APC for rapid deployment to the conflict zone.

Noun

1. (military) an armored vehicle (usually equipped with caterpillar treads) that is used to transport infantry