Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms. General and Complete Disarmament was defined by the United Nations General Assembly as the elimination of all WMD, coupled with the “balanced reduction of armed forces and conventional armaments, based on the principle of undiminished security of the parties with a view to promoting or enhancing stability at a lower military level, taking into account the need of all States to protect their security.”

निःशस्त्रीकरण का अर्थ है - विनाशकारी हथियारों/अस्त्रों-शस्त्रों के उत्पादन पर रोक लगना तथा उपलब्ध विनाशकारी हथियारों को नष्ट करना। शस्त्र नियंत्रण की दिशा में विभिन्न राष्ट्र प्रेरित होकर अपने शस्त्र भण्डारों में जो कमी कर रहे हैं तथा अपने सैनिक व्यय में जो कमी कर रहे हैं, ये सब प्रयास निःशस्त्रीकरण के अन्तर्गत ही आते हैं।