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
Noun
Further showing his disregard for American concerns, Putin also began toying with the idea of invading neighboring Georgia, where both Chechen civilians and guerrilla forces had fled. Stephan Kieninger / Made By History, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024 Also Read Playboi Carti, André 3000 Anchor Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw The spinning punk dervishes here at this multi-band guerrilla gig conjure from the ground a choking cloud of dust, which plumes north in the twilight. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 18 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 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guerrilla.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 4 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!