militarize

verb

mil·​i·​ta·​rize ˈmi-lə-tə-ˌrīz How to pronounce militarize (audio)
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 noun

Examples of militarize in a Sentence

militarize a country's foreign policy
Recent Examples on the Web Under the mandate, the Mexico-U.S. border wall would receive extra funding to get completed, and Trump's administration would be urged to militarize the border. Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 11 July 2024 The tensions are perhaps most evident along the DMZ, which is becoming increasingly militarized after the scrapping of the 2018 agreement by North Korea last November and South Korea last month. Jan Camenzind Broomby, NBC News, 6 July 2024 And it would be based on the demilitarization of Gaza and the guarantee that it could never again be militarized. David Makovsky, Washington Post, 19 June 2024 With China consolidating its military positions in the last four years and India trying to mirror those moves, the border has been significantly militarized, and an accidental escalation could carry very serious consequences. Praveen Donthi, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for militarize 

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

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of militarize was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near militarize

Cite this Entry

“Militarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militarize. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

militarize

verb
mil·​i·​ta·​rize ˈmil-ə-tə-ˌrīz How to pronounce militarize (audio)
militarized; militarizing
1
: to equip with military forces and defenses
2
: to give a military character to
militarization noun

More from Merriam-Webster on militarize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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