guerrilla

noun guer·ril·la \ gə-ˈri-lə , ge- , g(y)i- \

variants: or guerilla

Definition of guerrilla

:a person who engages in irregular warfare especially as a member of an independent unit carrying out harassment and sabotage (see sabotage 2)

Guerrillas controlled half the country.

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Examples of guerrilla in a Sentence

The guerrillas controlled half the country.

Recent Examples of guerrilla from the Web

The movie was (apparently) shot guerrilla-style, though the filmmakers have been coy as to which scenes were captured stealthily and which are dramatized.

— gary thompson, kansascity, "In ‘Menashe,’ a lovable loser takes us into the close-knit Hasidic community," 30 Aug. 2017
The FARC was formed in the early 1960s by guerrillas affiliated with Colombia’s Communist Party.

— christine armario, The Seattle Times, "Former Colombia rebels try hand at politics with new party," 27 Aug. 2017
Usually such efforts lead to sagas of unrelenting grimness: mothers who prostitute daughters, and men who forcibly inject runaways with drugs to hook them, a practice known as guerrilla pimping.

— author: jan hoffman, Alaska Dispatch News, "Hunting a killer in Oklahoma: Sex, drugs and the return of syphilis," 25 Aug. 2017
This is the return of big power warfare, where the enemy is no longer guerrillas with grenade launchers but armies with tanks that can take over entire countries.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Army Is Getting Deadlier Stryker Armored Vehicles to Protect Europe From Russia," 22 Aug. 2017
In a sign of that mistrust, on Jan. 1 1994 the Zapatista guerrilla army launched an armed uprising opposing free trade to mark the first day of NAFTA.

— reuters, Fortune, "Thousands of Mexicans March to Scrap NAFTA, as Their Government Fights to Save It," 16 Aug. 2017
Stikman is often referred to as a guerrilla artist in the mold of Banksy (a British street artist who paints images on blank walls).

— patrick cooley, cleveland.com, "Anonymous artist Stikman talks about his Cleveland art (photos)," 2 Aug. 2017
In late 1947 Pakistan sent guerrilla fighters to stir a Muslim uprising.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
Insurrections have simmered in India’s remote, neglected north-east for decades, and Maoist guerrillas who started fighting in the 1960s still rattle tribal regions in the eastern states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

— The Economist, "Reconciliation is not impossible, but it will be a long, slow process," 22 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guerrilla.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of guerrilla

Spanish guerrilla, from diminutive of guerra war, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German werra strife — more at war

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1809

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

guerrilla

adjective

Definition of guerrilla

:of, relating to, or suggestive of guerrillas especially in being aggressive, radical, or unconventional

guerrilla warfare

Origin and Etymology of guerrilla

see ¹guerrilla

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1811

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

GUERRILLA Defined for English Language Learners

guerrilla

noun

Definition of guerrilla for English Language Learners

: a member of a usually small group of soldiers who do not belong to a regular army and who fight in a war as an independent unit

GUERRILLA Defined for Kids

guerrilla

noun guer·ril·la

variants: or guerilla \gə-ˈri-lə\

Definition of guerrilla for Students

:a member of a group carrying on warfare but not part of a regular army

Learn More about guerrilla

See words that rhyme with guerrilla Spanish Central: Translation of guerrilla Nglish: Translation of guerrilla for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of guerrilla for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about guerrilla

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Examples of guerrilla in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of guerrilla

Other Military Terms

guerrilla

Definition of guerrilla

Origin and Etymology of guerrilla

Other Military Terms

GUERRILLA Defined for English Language Learners

guerrilla

Definition of guerrilla for English Language Learners

GUERRILLA Defined for Kids

guerrilla

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