militia

as in battalion
a group of people who are not part of the armed forces of a country but are trained like soldiers Local militia were an important part of American forces during the Revolutionary War.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of militia Israel withdrew in 2000 under heavy fire from the Hezbollah militia. Josef Federman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2024 The white supremacist group grew into a violent militia, one that its first grand wizard, former Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, tried to disband four years later. The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024 In northern Syria, militias backed by Turkey, Syria’s neighbor, spent years battling Kurdish forces. Josh Holder, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024 The dominant militia group responsible for atrocities was the Janjaweed Arab militia, which later evolved to become the RSF. Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for militia 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militia
Noun
  • What People Are Saying David Acuña, a battalion chief for Cal Fire said this is only the third time in 30 years a wildfire of this kind has happened in January.
    Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
  • On Monday, Cal Fire’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit sent three fire engines and a battalion chief to Southern California, while its Santa Clara unit sent two engines and a strike team.
    Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The tune will mark J-Hope’s first new track since his discharge from the army last October.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Jan. 2025
  • On his YouTube livestream discussing the fires, the climate scientist Daniel Swain compared the combined fleet of vehicles, aircraft, and personnel to the army of a small nation.
    Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • On May 22, three soldiers who witnessed the Mount Suribachi flag-raising on the island of Iwo Jima were greeted by 1,000 schoolchildren.
    Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
  • The goal is to slow Russia's advance and weaken their fighting power while sacrificing as few Ukrainian soldiers as possible.
    Brian Mann, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near militia

Cite this Entry

“Militia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militia. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on militia

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!