as in military
of or relating to a group that is not an official army but that operates and is organized like an army
Government forces have been attacked by heavily armed paramilitary groups in several villages. a paramilitary police force
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Dissimilar Words
as in guerrilla
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paramilitary
Sheldon Jacobson, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
The younger Cepeda then rallied for human rights and investigations into state and paramilitary violence.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026
Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Golshan Fathi, a woman living in Tehran, said the Basij paramilitary, which played a key role in the bloody crushing of mass protests last month, was showing a heavy presence in the streets of the capital.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act did was enable paramilitary units with immigration enforcement powers.
—Sheldon Jacobson, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
The younger Cepeda then rallied for human rights and investigations into state and paramilitary violence.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026
Noun
And on the ground in Iran, there isn’t a single group or person or movement to whom these IRGC or other police or paramilitary could surrender.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Golshan Fathi, a woman living in Tehran, said the Basij paramilitary, which played a key role in the bloody crushing of mass protests last month, was showing a heavy presence in the streets of the capital.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
-
Base officials said the people on board were a mix of military personnel and civilian contractors.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
The city, usually home to some 90,000 people before the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2, was largely deserted as Israel pressed its military offensive in the area in recent days.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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After launching in 2022 as a live event outdoors at Lincoln Center, the guerrilla awards show reached TV screens for the first time last year.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
The selective application of trafficking claims The narco-terrorism label was selectively applied not only to left-wing guerrillas but to the two communist governments in Latin America.—
Michelle D. Paranzino,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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French, American, British and other naval crews already have experience of escorting civilian ships through hostile fire in the region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
-
Albanian naval officer Bamir Kundreti, who is 56 years old, lived with his family on Sazan for eight years after 1991 as a torpedo boat commander.—
Marzio G. Mian,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon overnight Friday in the first Israeli deaths since the signing of the Iran ceasefire deal.—
Lou Robinson,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Civilians in the area have not been instructed to evacuate but have faced checkpoints and tension, with occasional clashes between Israeli soldiers and villagers.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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Trump’s birthday began with a new round of Israeli military strikes in Beirut, which the country said was in response to projectiles fired by the militant group Hezbollah at Israel.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
Israel’s military said the militant group launched three projectiles, releasing video in which an audible boom was followed by rising smoke.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Ambition meets heart as the temperamental Moon in your 10th House of Career conjoins warrior Mars there, sharpening visibility and focus.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
-
To follow the Nakasendo is to walk in the footsteps of merchants and warriors, poets and pilgrims—and to write your own story into its centuries-old landscape.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The trooper was able to perform a traffic stop and said that the driver was heavily intoxicated.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
State police troopers, officers from the Butler Police Department and deputies from the Bates County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and are assisting with the crash investigation, the outlets reported.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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