paramilitary
adjective
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This term paramilitary can take in a wide range of organizations, but is usually applied to forces formed by a government. Groups opposing a government, even when organized along military lines, are more often referred to as guerrillas or insurgents. In countries with weak central governments (such as, in recent times, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, or Congo), warlords may form their own paramilitary forces and take over all local police and military functions. Paramilitary often has a sinister sound today, since it's also applied to groups of off-duty military or police personnel who carry out illegal violence, often at night, with the quiet support of a government.
Examples of paramilitary in a Sentence
Sam Dalrymple, Time, 14 July 2025
The civil war between the country’s army and a paramilitary group has displaced 11 million people internally and 4 million more are refugees in other countries.
—Chris Boccia, ABC News, 13 July 2025
Compounding this shift away from Hezbollah’s influence, the U.S. recently laid down terms for a deal that would see the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in return for the total disarmament of the paramilitary group – a proposal seemingly backed by the Lebanese government.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 9 July 2025
Beijing's sovereignty claims, which extend across most of the strategic waterway, have been a persistent source of tension with Vietnam and other countries in the region, as have Chinese coast guard, paramilitary, and research activities in the maritime zones of China's neighbors.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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