as in disarmament
the reduction or elimination of a country's armed forces or weapons
the demilitarization of some formerly warlike nations that occurred in the aftermath of World War II
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of demilitarization
Challenges remain in securing the full participation of Hamas in demilitarization, meeting urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza and establishing a reliable framework for security and governance.
—
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Advertisement After consultations with Israeli officials, Qatari negotiators, and regional mediators, Witkoff and Kushner assembled a 20-point peace plan calling for a ceasefire and hostage exchange, Israeli security guarantees, the demilitarization of Gaza, and a new civilian governing authority.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
The second phase would involve further withdrawal of Israeli forces in coordination with the complete disarmament of Hamas and demilitarization of the enclave.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Some analysts said Hamas likely won’t accept the deal, which calls for Gaza’s demilitarization.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
This dimension of the work was heightened by its site, a former helicopter landing field on an old NATO base, given over to the Autostrada Biennale in 2014 as part of a process of demilitarization in the aftermath of the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Hamas' main goal is to end the war and survive, and if the deal succeeds in a hostage-prisoner exchange and an end of the war, Hamas may be able to sell it as a victory, leaving the question of Gaza's demilitarization an issue to contend with later as Hamas calculates its next steps.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
Israel insists its campaign targets the demilitarization of Hamas and release of hostages taken by the Palestinian militant group after its terror attacks in October 2023.
—Ruxandra Iordache,emma Graham, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Advertisement After consultations with Israeli officials, Qatari negotiators, and regional mediators, Witkoff and Kushner assembled a 20-point peace plan calling for a ceasefire and hostage exchange, Israeli security guarantees, the demilitarization of Gaza, and a new civilian governing authority.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
The second phase would involve further withdrawal of Israeli forces in coordination with the complete disarmament of Hamas and demilitarization of the enclave.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Some analysts said Hamas likely won’t accept the deal, which calls for Gaza’s demilitarization.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
This dimension of the work was heightened by its site, a former helicopter landing field on an old NATO base, given over to the Autostrada Biennale in 2014 as part of a process of demilitarization in the aftermath of the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Hamas' main goal is to end the war and survive, and if the deal succeeds in a hostage-prisoner exchange and an end of the war, Hamas may be able to sell it as a victory, leaving the question of Gaza's demilitarization an issue to contend with later as Hamas calculates its next steps.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
Israel insists its campaign targets the demilitarization of Hamas and release of hostages taken by the Palestinian militant group after its terror attacks in October 2023.
—Ruxandra Iordache,emma Graham, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demilitarization
disarmament
Noun
-
Israel has been pushing hard for the complete disarmament of Hamas to be included in the ceasefire agreement.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Analysts are skeptical over whether the Gaza peace agreement — which calls for a full disarmament of Hamas, among other vexxing issues — will be fully implemented, even as its initial phase looked to be unfolding as hoped.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demilitarization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demilitarization. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share