guerrilla

1 of 2

noun

guer·​ril·​la gə-ˈri-lə How to pronounce guerrilla (audio)
ge-,
g(y)i-
variants or guerilla
: a person who engages in irregular warfare especially as a member of an independent unit carrying out harassment and sabotage (see sabotage sense 2)
Guerrillas controlled half the country.

guerrilla

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or suggestive of guerrillas especially in being aggressive, radical, or unconventional
guerrilla warfare

Examples of guerrilla in a Sentence

Noun The guerrillas controlled half the country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The former guerrilla turned climate crusader took office as President in 2022 promising to phase out fossil fuels, no small project for a nation where more than 50% of exports come from oil and coal. Justin Worland/bogotá, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024 The roots of this conflict began in the early 1970s, when the PLO started targeting Israel from neighboring Jordan in a guerrilla warfare campaign. Ibrahim Al-Marashi / Made By History, TIME, 1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
She became known as a muse of desbunde, an anti-military but also anti-guerrilla nonconformist zeitgeist. Phil Davison, Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2022 The attacks have prompted Moscow to send anti-guerrilla units to Kherson, Mr. Saldo said. Yuras Karmanau and Hanna Arhirova, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for guerrilla 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Spanish guerrilla, from diminutive of guerra war, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German werra strife — more at war

First Known Use

Noun

1809, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guerrilla was in 1809

Dictionary Entries Near guerrilla

Cite this Entry

“Guerrilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guerrilla. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

guerrilla

noun
guer·​ril·​la
variants or guerilla
gə-ˈril-ə
: a member of a band of persons engaged in warfare not as part of a regular army but as an independent unit making surprise raids behind enemy lines
guerrilla adjective
Etymology

Noun

from Spanish guerrilla, literally, "small war," from guerra "war"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!