militia

noun

mi·​li·​tia mə-ˈli-shə 

plural militias

1

a

: a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency

The militia was called to quell the riot.

b

: a body of citizens organized for military service

2

: the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service

3

: a private group of armed individuals that operates as a paramilitary force and is typically motivated by a political or religious ideology

specifically : such a group that aims to defend individual rights against government authority that is perceived as oppressive

Examples of militia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Israeli military said its fighter jets had targeted three classrooms in the school building that held 20 to 30 Palestinian militants affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller militia that, like Hamas, is backed by Iran. —Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 6 June 2024

But federal prosecutors are in for a fight on this one — Schindler was one of the defense attorneys on the infamous Bundy case, when armed militia members occupied a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon and refused to leave. —Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 31 May 2024

Scott Peterson/Getty Images/The Christian Science Monitor Homes in the Shiite village of Ayta ash Shab, close to Lebanon's southern border with Israel, show damage from fighting between the Shiite militia Hezbollah and Israel, seen from Rmaych, Lebanon, May 19, 2024. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2024

Taiwan must also expand its coast guard to more assertively push back against the activities of China’s coast guard and maritime militia. —Isaac Kardon, Foreign Affairs, 21 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, military service, from milit-, miles

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

militia

noun

mi·​li·​tia mə-ˈlish-ə 

: a body of citizens with some military training who are called to active duty only in an emergency