garrison state

noun

: a state organized to serve primarily its own need for military security
also : a state maintained by military power

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web With minor variations, these policies have been a matter of bipartisan consensus since the George W. Bush administration embarked on the path of turning the country into a garrison state after 9/11. Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 13 Apr. 2021 This elaborate garrison state was put in place to allow the federal government to function after a nuclear attack. Ed Burmila, The New Republic, 13 June 2019 With no domestic pressure on the generals to reform, Pakistan will remain what the Singaporean scholar Tan Tai Yong calls a garrison state dominated by the army. Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 30 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'garrison state.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of garrison state was in 1937

Dictionary Entries Near garrison state

Cite this Entry

“Garrison state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garrison%20state. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

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