military

1 of 2

adjective

mil·​i·​tary ˈmi-lə-ˌter-ē 

1

a

: of or relating to soldiers, arms, or war

military discipline/life/service

the country's military needs

a military career

b

: of or relating to armed forces

especially : of or relating to ground or sometimes ground and air forces as opposed to naval forces

military and naval affairs

2

a

: performed or made by armed forces

military operations

b

: supported by armed force

a military government

a military coup

3

: of or relating to the army

the military academy at West Point

military

2 of 2

noun

plural military also militaries

1

: military persons

especially : army officers

2

: armed forces

Synonyms of military

Adjective

• martial
• naval
• service

Noun

• troops
• soldiers

Examples of military in a Sentence

Adjective

He is being tried in a military court rather than in a civilian court.

He has had a long military career.

Noun

There were many military present but only a few civilians.

some would insist that the military's budget is still inadequate

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Under Assembly Bill 481, law enforcement agencies are required to obtain approval prior to the purchase or use of military equipment, along with an annual report of how the technology has been deployed in the previous year. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Another point is to mandate that all military intelligence infrastructure treats AI-derived target assessments as highly suspect, rather than highly accurate. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Noun

The Israeli military has continued to expand its military occupation of Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Israel intends to expand the area under its control to 70% of the enclave. — Reuters, NBC news, 31 July 2026

Only five vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to marine traffic data, after the Iranian military warned the channel would be closed so long as US strikes persist. — Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Latin militaris, from milit-, miles soldier

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing military

• anti-military
• full military honors
• military brat
• military-industrial complex
• military police
• military press
• military science
• military service
• military time
• the military

Rhymes for military

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

Kids Definition

military

1 of 2 adjective

mil·​i·​tary ˈmil-ə-ˌter-ē 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of soldiers, arms, or war

military discipline

2

: carried on or supported by armed force

a military government

3

: of or relating to the army

military and naval affairs

military

2 of 2 noun

plural military

1

: armed forces

2

: military persons

especially : army officers