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.
Examples of insurgency in a Sentence
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Pinochet was proud of his personal library, with books on guerrilla insurgencies, the writings of Antonio Gramsci and other Marxist theorists, and accounts of communist crimes.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
The cocoa and oil-producing country faces several challenges including a longstanding separatist insurgency by Anglophone separatists and attacks by jihadist groups.
—semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent history in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq suggests that insurgencies can wear down regular armies over time.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insurgency
Cite this Entry
“Insurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgency. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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insurgency
noun
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