insurgency
noun
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Insurgencies fall into the category of "irregular warfare", since an insurgency normally lacks the organization of a revolution, even though it has the same aims. Revolutions often begin within a country's armed forces, whereas insurgencies often arise in remote areas, where they gain strength slowly by winning the confidence of rural populations. An insurgency may be based on ethnic or religious identity, or its roots may be basically political or economic. Since insurgencies are rarely strong enough to face a national army head-on, insurgents (often called guerrillas) tend to use such tactics as bombing, kidnapping, hostage taking, and hijacking.
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Examples of insurgency in a Sentence
Baraa Anwer, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2025
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukraine launched a fresh offensive in the Kursk region, where military analysts estimate Kyiv recently lost 40% of what its forces captured in a lightning insurgency five months ago.
—Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
However, the organization that spearheaded the recent insurgency and is poised to play a major role in Syria's political future is far from an assured ally of Jerusalem.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Obama ended up funding and arming the Syrian opposition so feebly it was slaughtered and – when its extremists joined up with radicals from Iraq’s long-running insurgency against the US occupation – metastasized into ISIS.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
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“Insurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgency. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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insurgency
noun
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