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
Jason Rezaian, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026
The report by the semiofficial Fars news agency, close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, appeared to be an indirect threat to the sites, including desalination plants in the Middle East.
—CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
Experts have warned that the war will continue so long as foreign powers — namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — continue backing and funding the belligerents, including a paramilitary accused of perpetrating a genocide.
—semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
Many checkpoints once manned by Basij paramilitary forces have been destroyed or abandoned.
—Jason Rezaian, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026
The report by the semiofficial Fars news agency, close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, appeared to be an indirect threat to the sites, including desalination plants in the Middle East.
—CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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
Experts have warned that the war will continue so long as foreign powers — namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — continue backing and funding the belligerents, including a paramilitary accused of perpetrating a genocide.
—semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
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On the broader military front, thousands of Marines aboard the USS Tripoli arrived in the Middle East on Friday, with additional forces en route from the West Coast.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Many Iranians worry the country’s people are being treated as collateral by military leaders involved in the conflict, Saeedi said.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Hezbollah, established that year, waged a guerrilla campaign that eventually ended the Israeli occupation in 2000.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
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Repression in this small northern province had been especially fierce, as guerrilla groups had controlled large parts of the territory before the coup.—
Débora Rey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The naval preparation in the Red Sea comes as roughly 2,000 ships and 20,000 crew members remain stuck in the Persian Gulf.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Wiseman, 50, was born in Baltimore and had a career as a naval aviator and test pilot before being chosen as an astronaut candidate in 2009.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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The village’s Black residents, including Hettie, are energized by a promising but tangled effort to redress a long-standing injustice—the unequal compensation received by Black South African soldiers in the Second World War.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In Lebanon, where Israel has started an invasion in the south while targeting the Hezbollah militant group, officials said more than 1,100 people have been killed in the country since the start of the war.—
Sam Metz,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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He was killed in southern Lebanon, a stronghold of the militant group Hezbollah, as Israel expands an invasion there.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The wall of names was the idea of Army veteran Jan Scruggs, who along with Air Force veteran and attorney Robert Doubek founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to build it in honor of the 58,318 American warriors who died in service to their country.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Enrique Iglesias appeared as a cruel Emperor whose plans were thwarted by the musical warriors.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The driver sustained only minor visible injuries, according to troopers.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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According to court records, Hickerson was driving north on Ambassador Drive through Northwest 88th Street when he was pulled over by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper for allegedly crossing over into the right lane.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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