counterinsurgency
noun
coun·ter·in·sur·gen·cy
ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē 
: organized military activity designed to combat insurgency
Examples of counterinsurgency in a Sentence
The military has launched a counterinsurgency.
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2017, under a government led by Suu Kyi, Min Aung Hlaing oversaw a harsh counterinsurgency campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority that drove hundreds of thousands into Bangladesh.
—
ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
The 1991 Gulf War was a stunning victory for the United States military, which has colored its assumptions about what conventional war—as opposed to counterinsurgency, a mission unwanted and disliked—should look like.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
In The Dispensable Nation, Nasr criticized the administration for favoring an Iraq-style counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan and, more widely, military decision-making over diplomacy.
—Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
Ambriz has built a small army of foreign mercenaries, mostly former soldiers from Colombia who have experience in bomb-making and counterinsurgency tactics.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterinsurgency
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
The 1991 Gulf War was a stunning victory for the United States military, which has colored its assumptions about what conventional war—as opposed to counterinsurgency, a mission unwanted and disliked—should look like.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
In The Dispensable Nation, Nasr criticized the administration for favoring an Iraq-style counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan and, more widely, military decision-making over diplomacy.
—Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
Ambriz has built a small army of foreign mercenaries, mostly former soldiers from Colombia who have experience in bomb-making and counterinsurgency tactics.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterinsurgency
Cite this Entry
“Counterinsurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterinsurgency. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
