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Definition of militia
1a : 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
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Exultant armies and militias now occupy the ground once held by the caliphate.
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Mostly Christian anti-Balaka militias fought back, resulting in thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
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For years there, vigilante militias have been fighting back against local warlords.
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According to her public Facebook profile, Roman is affiliated with anti-government militia groups the Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers.
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Local militias fighting the Islamic State had suffered heavy casualties after a tough battle, and U.S. special operations forces urgently needed to get blankets to their partners.
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More than 1 million people, mostly women and children, fled their homes because of the continuing armed conflict between the Congolese military and militia groups.
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Underlying the group's work is the premise that providing assistance to civilian populations or local militias can help counter the threat posed by Islamist extremists.
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Amid militia clashes and numerous violent protests –
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
MILITIA Defined for English Language Learners
militia
playDefinition of militia for English Language Learners
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: 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
playDefinition of militia for Students
: a group of citizens with some military training who are called into service only in emergencies
Learn More about militia
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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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