militia

noun

Definition of militianext
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.

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Example 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 The executions, announced Sunday, triggered condemnations by rights groups in the North African country that is divided between rival administrations, each backed by a set of militias and foreign governments. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Influential figures within the Taliban were appointed as his aides, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network (a powerful Pashtun militia), and Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of Mohammad Omar. — Andrew Pereira, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026 Iran remains heavily invested in providing the Houthis with expertise and intelligence, according to a Gulf source, while in turn the Houthis provide advice to Iraqi militia. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 Mundubile criticized the raid as an attempt on his life and denied allegations that the officials were part of a militia. — Jacob Zimba, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for militia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militia
  1. battalion
  2. army
  3. soldiers
  4. troops
Noun
  • An Army unit based in Europe was building its own drones before LaNeve directed it to end its efforts and return to being a traditional infantry battalion, officials said in August.
    — Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In northern Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, Russian forces are reportedly disbanding some tank battalions and reallocating younger servicemembers to drone units, while assigning other personnel to assault units.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of battalion
Noun
  • The European Union’s top diplomat said Russia’s army is struggling to make progress on the front line and wants to scare off Ukraine’s Western backers with its air campaign.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • He's widely considered to be close to the chief of the army, which is Pakistan's most powerful institution.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of army
Noun
  • That means determining how robots are transported, controlled, tasked, and integrated with soldiers and existing command structures.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
  • This is my personal version of those videos of soldiers coming home from war, and the other women react as such.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of soldiers
Noun
  • Gerasimov also claimed Russian troops had overcome the first defensive line of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk fortified region in certain areas and that operations were currently advancing along a 160-kilometer front.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Some of those attacks have killed and wounded American troops.
    — Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of troops

Browse Nearby Words

military
militia
militiaman
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Cite this Entry

“Militia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militia. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on militia

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about militia

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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