militia

noun mi·li·tia \ mə-ˈli-shə \

Updated on: 11 Apr 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

About 2,000 American soldiers are deployed in eastern Syria, working with local militias to fight the jihadists of the Islamic State.

— ben hubbard and hwaida saad, New York Times, "Poison Gas Attack Reported by Syrian Anti-Government Activists," 7 Apr. 2018
Contra most of Ubisoft’s pre-release hype, the group that bears most resemblance to a conservative militia in Far Cry 5 isn’t the Eden’s Gate cult.

— adi robertson, The Verge, "Far Cry 5 wasn’t a game for the Trump era, but it tried to be one anyway," 6 Apr. 2018
Military leaders will try to persuade him not to withdraw the relatively small number of American troops that have been helping friendly militias in Syria.

— gerald f. seib, WSJ, "Trump Plunges Ahead With America-First, Nationalist Approach," 3 Apr. 2018
The barrage from the president has angered many in his base, leading to constant coverage on conservative news outlets and preparations by private militias in border states.

— alan gomez, USA TODAY, "Trump keeps focus on caravan of Honduran asylum seekers headed to U.S.," 3 Apr. 2018
His remarks are the latest criticism by the Turkish leader of Washington over its engagement with Syrian Kurdish militia.

— Fox News, "The Latest: Turkey's Erdogan criticizes US over Syrian Kurds," 20 Mar. 2018
Vast parts of the country go ungoverned, with armed militias vying for territory and resources in at least a third of its provinces.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Drill, Baby, Drill—in 2028?," 9 Mar. 2018
There are those who argue the Second Amendment is outmoded, written with an 18th-century citizen militia in mind.

— randy blaser, chicagotribune.com, "Column: When it comes to mass shootings, it's not all the gun's fault," 7 Mar. 2018
Indicted by the International Criminal Court and still on the run, Kony went on to plague South Sudan and the Central African Republic with a much-diminished militia.

— okech francis, Bloomberg.com, "Warlord's Fighters Become Movie Stars as Ugandan Cinema Booms," 21 Feb. 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

Definition of militia

Recent Examples of militia from the Web

Origin and Etymology of militia

Other Military Terms

MILITIA Defined for English Language Learners

militia

Definition of militia for English Language Learners

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militia

Definition of militia for Students

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