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
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as in to disarm
to reduce the size and strength of the armed forces of
the two nations agreed to demilitarize themselves reciprocally in hopes of avoiding war
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Recent Examples of 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
Emily Feng, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
The Israeli government declared war on Hamas in the immediate aftermath of the attack with leaders expressing the goal to completely demilitarize Hamas and to remove them from power in Gaza.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarization
Noun
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
Verb
The American ceasefire plan being negotiated this week could allow Israel's military to remain inside the Gaza Strip, and Israel has been calling for Hamas to be entirely demilitarized.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
The Israeli government declared war on Hamas in the immediate aftermath of the attack with leaders expressing the goal to completely demilitarize Hamas and to remove them from power in Gaza.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarization
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demilitarization
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
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Israel’s military still occupies roughly 50% of Gaza, and the ceasefire agreement stipulates that its withdrawal is contingent on Hamas disarming — two sticking points in the ceasefire deal that have yet to be worked out.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
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The ceasefire is still working through kinks, as Hamas has refused to disarm despite the terms of the deal.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the eyes of his critics, Zelensky has allowed too many Ukrainians to remain physically and mentally demobilized, placing a greater burden on those already exhausted by years of fighting.—
NATALIYA GUMENYUK,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Aug. 2025
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Israel wants Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that took a beating during its war with Israel last fall, disarmed and demobilized.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demilitarization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demilitarization. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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