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

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 requires stable borders and secure trade routes—impossible with Iranian militias controlling Syrian territory. —Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Violent extremism has increased throughout Africa in recent years, although until lately it was mostly restricted to the Sahel region, where militias hold control over swaths of territory. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 30 July 2025

The arming of militias appears to be the closest that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come to empowering any form of alternate rule in the strip. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 23 July 2025

With all eyes on Gaza and on the fallout from Israel’s war on five other fronts—Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq, as well as Iran itself—few have noted the unprecedented uptick in violence in the West Bank. —Nimrod Novik, Time, 23 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, military service, from milit-, miles

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for militia

• adventitia
• vicia

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