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

She was kidnapped two months later by the group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia linked to Iran, after leaving a cafe in Baghdad, according to her family. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

In 2022, his son was killed fighting in the Sparta Battalion, an anti-Ukrainian militia in the Donetsk Republic, and shortly afterward, Putin met with Zhoga to award his son a posthumous Hero of the Russian Federation medal. —Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025

Kuah and Wongbi allegedly held leadership roles in the Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), a separatist militia seeking to create an independent country in Cameroon, according to the indictment. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Lebanon was devastated by a year-long conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, triggered by the militia’s backing of Hamas after the Palestinian militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. —Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, military service, from milit-, miles

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for militia

• adventitia
• vicia

Kids 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