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
Art Jipson, The Conversation, 11 June 2025
The other side in the war — the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — has plans to form its own parallel government.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 June 2025
Simeón Enríquez Gómez, the third paramilitary fighter, was also convicted of raping two of the women.
—Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025
Much of the city has been left in ruins by intense battles between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 27 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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