Definition of militarize
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
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Examples of militarize in a Sentence
militarize a country's foreign policy
Recent Examples of militarize from the Web
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In recent years, China has invested heavily in building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea.
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Sustained unrest has left more than 70 people dead, mobilized crowds of thousands daily and militarized the country under the National Guard, resulting in even more instability than before.
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SYDNEY—Secretary of State Rex Tillerson forcefully called on China to stop militarizing islands in the South China Sea, to pressure North Korea and broadly to assume a more responsible role in Asia-Pacific stability.
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In recent years, China has built and militarized manmade islands in the South China Sea.
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This horrific violence requires us to reflect deeply on root causes, and is not an excuse to further militarize our communities.
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And Act Two: Pepe le Pew-Pew-Pew. New York’s reptiles have militarized.
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The Chinese message, in a Defense Ministry statement, suggested that China was further watering down a pledge made by its president, Xi Jinping, to not militarize the islands.
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The Guardian reports that Uber sponsors a trade show that aims to militarize the police.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'militarize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of militarize
1856
MILITARIZE Defined for English Language Learners
militarize
playDefinition of militarize for English Language Learners
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: to put weapons and military forces in (an area)
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: to give a military quality or character to (something)
Learn More about militarize
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Britannica English: Translation of militarize for Arabic speakers
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