insurgency

noun

in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce insurgency (audio)
plural insurgencies
1
2
: the quality or state of being insurgent
specifically : a condition of revolt against a government that is less than an organized revolution and that is not recognized as belligerency

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Insurgencies fall into the category of "irregular warfare", since an insurgency normally lacks the organization of a revolution, even though it has the same aims. Revolutions often begin within a country's armed forces, whereas insurgencies often arise in remote areas, where they gain strength slowly by winning the confidence of rural populations. An insurgency may be based on ethnic or religious identity, or its roots may be basically political or economic. Since insurgencies are rarely strong enough to face a national army head-on, insurgents (often called guerrillas) tend to use such tactics as bombing, kidnapping, hostage taking, and hijacking.

Examples of insurgency in a Sentence

there always seems to be insurgency of some type in that troubled country
Recent Examples on the Web Sounds like a good job for the CIA and SOF to clandestinely throttle the insurgency – and any CCP agents found within 500 miles of it. Haley Strack, National Review, 28 Oct. 2023 There, opposition to the Maidan revolt sparked violent insurgency in the streets, but the local elites chose not to break with the Ukrainian government. Robert Hornsby, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023 There were questions about the quality of Israeli intelligence gathering, normally a point of Israeli pride, and suggestions that the Israeli military — which has focused its recent activity on quelling an insurgency in the West Bank — had misdirected its energies. Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2023 The gas-rich southwestern Balochistan province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been the site of a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades. Abdul Sattar The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2023 Its quest to prevent future insurgencies often bleeds overseas. Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2023 Nineteen-year-old Mohammad Yasir came to Pakistan during the Taliban insurgency in 2021. Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2023 But the main driver of this powerful insurgency is not an extremist ideology or religious belief, according to a U.N. study of 1,000 former fighters from eight countries. Declan Walsh, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023 The onset of war this weekend sparked by Hamas attacks on Israel has largely shuttered Israel’s film and TV industry as the country grapples with the insurgency and a death toll that has surpassed 1,100. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insurgency.' 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

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of insurgency was in 1803

Dictionary Entries Near insurgency

Cite this Entry

“Insurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgency. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

insurgency

noun
in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən-sē How to pronounce insurgency (audio)
plural insurgencies

Legal Definition

insurgency

noun
in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən-sē How to pronounce insurgency (audio)
plural insurgencies
: the quality or state of being insurgent
specifically : a condition of revolt against a recognized government that does not reach the proportions of an organized revolutionary government and is not recognized as belligerency

More from Merriam-Webster on insurgency

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