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 demilitarize
Germany, obliged by history to demilitarize, but conscious that this posture has run its course, almost certainly holds the key to any such transformation.
—
Roger Cohen, New York Times, 8 May 2025
Ukraine and European allies stressed that Kyiv must have the ability to adequately equip and man its own army, but Putin would have to concede on his goal of demilitarizing Ukraine.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Similarly, pausing attacks on energy infrastructure is clearly more advantageous to Russia, as is demilitarizing the Black Sea, given Russia’s dependence on the waterway and the Russian Navy’s extreme – and one-sided – vulnerability to Ukrainian attacks.
—Douglas Schoen, Orange County Register, 20 Mar. 2025
The outcome that Putin wants would be a Ukraine that is permanently stripped of almost 25 percent of its territory, demilitarized, and barred from joining the EU and NATO.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarize
Roger Cohen, New York Times, 8 May 2025
Ukraine and European allies stressed that Kyiv must have the ability to adequately equip and man its own army, but Putin would have to concede on his goal of demilitarizing Ukraine.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Similarly, pausing attacks on energy infrastructure is clearly more advantageous to Russia, as is demilitarizing the Black Sea, given Russia’s dependence on the waterway and the Russian Navy’s extreme – and one-sided – vulnerability to Ukrainian attacks.
—Douglas Schoen, Orange County Register, 20 Mar. 2025
The outcome that Putin wants would be a Ukraine that is permanently stripped of almost 25 percent of its territory, demilitarized, and barred from joining the EU and NATO.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demilitarize
Verb
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And in an online landscape flooded with sales pitches, the honest awkwardness is disarming.—
Leeron Walter,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Lebanon’s military has the difficult task of disarming Hezbollah while preserving peace among the country’s factions.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 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
“Demilitarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demilitarize. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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