militia

noun mi·li·tia \ mə-ˈli-shə \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 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

But most of those headlines portrayed the Bundys as straight-up lunatics who called on a militia to fight the BLM over unpaid cattle grazing fees and a belief that the government should not own public lands.

— the editors, Outside Online, "What We Read, Watched, and Listened to in May," 1 June 2018
In 2016, the Justice Department uncovered a plot by an anti-Muslim militia group to blow up a Garden City apartment complex where many Somali refugees lived.

— mica rosenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, "With fewer incoming refugees, US resettlement centers dwindle," 22 May 2018
The III% United Patriots of Kansas, which the report describes as an anti-government militia group, provided security for the gathering.

— judy l. thomas, kansascity, "Kobach's ties to militias, other extremists make him bad pick for governor, PAC says | The Kansas City Star," 14 May 2018
Turkey, which continues to support some of the opposition, launched a campaign in January against the Kurdish YPG militia in the north.

— raja abdulrahim, WSJ, "Syria Ramps Up Attacks on Pockets of Opposition," 26 Apr. 2018
The Afrin operation was part of a Turkish plan to drive the main Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, away from the Turkish border area.

— robert burns, chicagotribune.com, "After Syria missile strikes, U.S. stuck in holding pattern," 19 Apr. 2018
Several militia groups that have patrolled the border in recent years have posted news articles and updates to its members about the caravan.

— alan gomez, USA TODAY, "Trump keeps focus on caravan of Honduran asylum seekers headed to U.S.," 3 Apr. 2018
Turkey, meanwhile, continues to press its campaign against Kurdish militias in the north, which has pitted a NATO ally against one of the U.S.’s most reliable Syrian partners in the fight against ISIS.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Announces We’re Leaving Syria ‘Very Soon.’ Hopefully, He Didn’t Mean It.," 30 Mar. 2018
And in 2016, Ammon Bundy, Cliven Bundy’s son, formed a militia called the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom that staged a 41-day armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation.

— kashana cauley, The New Republic, "A Culture of Violent White Guys," 29 Mar. 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.