Definition of conscription
: compulsory enrollment of persons especially for military service : draft During the war the armed forces were heavily dependent on conscription.
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of conscription in a Sentence
young people who face conscription into the army
Recent Examples of conscription from the Web
-
Two decades later, the largest urban insurrection in American history occurred as Irish immigrants rioted against conscription; several regiments had to be dispatched from the pursuit of Lee after Gettysburg to restore order.
-
In her nearly 12 years as chancellor, Merkel has moved her party to the center and away from conservative orthodoxy, speeding up Germany's exit from nuclear power and ending military conscription, among other moves.
-
In nearly 12 years as chancellor, Merkel has moved her party to the center and away from conservative orthodoxy, speeding up Germany’s exit from nuclear power and ending military conscription among other moves.
-
The Civil War and the accompanying conscription of Belle Meade's Thoroughbreds by both Union and Confederate armies severely impacted its stables.
-
In 1973 the federal government ended conscription and established the...
-
Military conscription, which drew recruits from all strata of society, had long been viewed as an important check on extremist thought within the military.
-
Within the conflict’s statistics are countless stories of torture, detention, forced conscription, families torn apart and normal lives downgraded rapidly or simply cut short.
-
These have included brute force, conscription, tribute, and religious doctrines ordaining social inequalities.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conscription.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
With its scrip- root, conscription means basically writing someone's name on a list—a list that, unfortunately, a lot of people usually don't want to be on. Conscription has existed at least since ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom (27th century B.C.), though universal conscription has been rare throughout history. Forms of conscription were used by Prussia, Switzerland, Russia, and other European powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the U.S., conscription was first applied during the Civil War, by both the North and the South. In the North there were pockets of resistance, and the draft led to riots in several cities. The U.S. abandoned conscription at the end of the war and didn't revive it until World War I.
Origin and Etymology of conscription
see 1conscript
CONSCRIPTION Defined for English Language Learners
conscription
playDefinition of conscription for English Language Learners
-
: the practice of ordering people by law to serve in the armed forces
Learn More about conscription
-
See words that rhyme with conscription Britannica English: Translation of conscription for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about conscription
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up conscription? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!