militia
noun
mi·li·tia
mə-ˈli-shə 
plural militias
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
3
: a private group of armed individuals that operates as a paramilitary force and is typically motivated by a political or religious ideology
specifically
: such a group that aims to defend individual rights against government authority that is perceived as oppressive
Examples of militia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Images of a little girl’s happy family moments, before the launch of the Cultural Revolution, contrast with stark visuals of her family trying to survive, as their hometown of Wuhan is overrun with Mao propaganda and the violent youth militias known as Red Guards.
—
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 15 July 2024
Telegram channels for branches of the Proud Boys militia group and discussions on the pro-Trump platform Patriots.win called for civil war and violence, according to an analysis from public interest research organization Advance Democracy provided to USA TODAY.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024
If there are new attempts to deploy violence to manipulate election outcomes later this year, those of us who believe in the power of nonviolence, dialogue, and unity in diversity need to be as organized—even more so—than those militias were on Jan. 6, 2021.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024
In July 2023, the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel of plans to expand its powers over archaeological sites in Palestinian territory, citing multiple raids by Israeli military and settler militias on the Roman-era archaeological village of Sebastia in the northern city of Nablus.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for militia 
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 15 July 2024
Telegram channels for branches of the Proud Boys militia group and discussions on the pro-Trump platform Patriots.win called for civil war and violence, according to an analysis from public interest research organization Advance Democracy provided to USA TODAY.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024
If there are new attempts to deploy violence to manipulate election outcomes later this year, those of us who believe in the power of nonviolence, dialogue, and unity in diversity need to be as organized—even more so—than those militias were on Jan. 6, 2021.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024
In July 2023, the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel of plans to expand its powers over archaeological sites in Palestinian territory, citing multiple raids by Israeli military and settler militias on the Roman-era archaeological village of Sebastia in the northern city of Nablus.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for militia
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'militia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Militia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militia. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
militia
noun
mi·li·tia
mə-ˈlish-ə
: a body of citizens with some military training who are called to active duty only in an emergency
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