militia

noun mi·li·tia \ mə-ˈli-shə \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Definition of militia

1 a : a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency

The militia was called to quell the riot.

b : a body of citizens organized for military service

2 : the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service

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Recent Examples of militia from the Web

Most are probably dead: killed in Syrian prisons, dumped in the Mediterranean or buried in one of more than 100 mass graves dug by sectarian militias.

— The Economist, "NGOs in Lebanon want to dig up mass graves from the civil war," 5 July 2018
Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been beset by a recent surge of violence, with at least 12 park rangers slain by militias and smugglers over the past 10 months, according to the Guardian.

— eli meixler, Time, "Africa's Oldest National Park Will Temporarily Close Amid a Series of Deadly Attacks," 5 June 2018
Since 2014, the country has been split between rival governments and parliaments based in the western and eastern regions, each backed by different militias and tribes.

— Fox News, "Medical group says many migrants killed in Libya escape," 25 May 2018
Much of that ground is now held by Kurdish militias, whom Turkey considers to be terrorists, that were backed by the US to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) – with American units seeded among them.

— scott peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Turkey's 'holy war' in Syria puts a more religious nationalism on display," 23 Mar. 2018
The attacks are mainly by militias and armed groups, both Sunni and Shia.

— janine di giovanni, Newsweek, "The Art of War," 9 Apr. 2014
Tehran is now believed to command up to 80,000 fighters in Syria — members of Shiite militias and paramilitary forces loyal to Iran.

— Washington Post, "Analysis: Iran role in Syria key item at Trump-Putin summit," 13 July 2018
Instead, the regime used the money to finance its Quds Force operations and Shiite militias in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Iran’s Persistent Protests," 3 July 2018
Against the Houthis, the Saudis have mustered a coalition with the UAE, and smaller contributions from Egypt, the GCC and other Sunni states—and a variety of Yemeni militias.

— The Economist, "Insecurity complexGulf states fear being encircled by Iran and abandoned by America," 21 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of militia

Latin, military service, from milit-, miles

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1625

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

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

MILITIA Defined for English Language Learners

militia

noun

Definition of militia for English Language Learners

: a group of people who are not part of the armed forces of a country but are trained like soldiers

MILITIA Defined for Kids

militia

noun mi·li·tia \ mə-ˈli-shə \

Definition of militia for Students

: a group of citizens with some military training who are called into service only in emergencies

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Spanish Central: Translation of militia Nglish: Translation of militia for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of militia for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about militia

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militia

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