militarize

verb

mil·​i·​ta·​rize ˈmi-lə-tə-ˌrīz 

militarized; militarizing

transitive verb

1

: to give a military character to

2

: to equip with military forces and defenses

3

: to adapt for military use

militarization

ˌmi-lə-t(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of militarize in a Sentence

militarize a country's foreign policy

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is ready to militarize Washington’s streets, not dissimilar to what happened in Los Angeles during an aggressive show against immigration. —Philip Elliott, Time, 11 Aug. 2025

This transit is about romanticizing your wellness rituals, not militarizing them. —Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 3 Aug. 2025

Faris: Three different polls asking about President Trump's decision to militarize the Los Angeles protests found public disapproval. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

President Donald Trump late Friday signed a memorandum directing several agencies to start militarizing a stretch of the southern border, an escalation of the administration’s use of the U.S. military amid its immigration crackdown. —Ariana Figueroa, Baltimore Sun, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for militarize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

militarize

verb

mil·​i·​ta·​rize ˈmil-ə-tə-ˌrīz 

militarized; militarizing

1

: to equip with military forces and defenses

2

: to give a military character to

militarization

ˌmil-ə-t(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun