variants
or guerillas
as in soldiers
a member of a usually small group of soldiers who do not belong to a regular army and who fight in a war as an independent unit
The guerrillas controlled half the country.
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Recent Examples of guerrillas
The group began in a Rio de Janeiro prison in the 1970s as a means of self-protection for prisoners, and was inspired by leftist guerrillas.
—
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
As well as the complexities of this Colombian ecosystem between the guerrillas, the military Special Forces, indigenous belief systems, Catholicism?
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Its most explosive event was Quantrill’s Raid in August 1863, when a group of Confederate guerrillas led by William Quantrill laid waste to Lawrence and killed upward of 200 people, some of them as young as 13 years old.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
This came after a lengthy trial in which US prosecutors accused him of exchanging firearms for cocaine shipments with the now-defunct FARC guerrillas, whose dissidents in Colombia control some of the key regions for narcotics production.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Ruiz Massieu, who has served as special representative of the secretary-general in Colombia since 2019 monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP guerrillas, arrived in Haiti over the weekend.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
As well as the complexities of this Colombian ecosystem between the guerrillas, the military Special Forces, indigenous belief systems, Catholicism?
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Its most explosive event was Quantrill’s Raid in August 1863, when a group of Confederate guerrillas led by William Quantrill laid waste to Lawrence and killed upward of 200 people, some of them as young as 13 years old.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
This came after a lengthy trial in which US prosecutors accused him of exchanging firearms for cocaine shipments with the now-defunct FARC guerrillas, whose dissidents in Colombia control some of the key regions for narcotics production.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Ruiz Massieu, who has served as special representative of the secretary-general in Colombia since 2019 monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP guerrillas, arrived in Haiti over the weekend.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guerrillas
Noun
-
The investigation and subsequent arrest of the soldiers fueled an intense political backlash, with some right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition even joining protests and riots outside the Sde Teiman facility and the military court where the soldiers were taken.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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On the other hand, King Abdullah is surely correct that no Arab or Muslim country will want to place its soldiers between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces.—
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Vice presidents used to embrace their role as national leaders who could calm passions rather than partisans who rub salt in every wound.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
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This question elicited markedly different responses among partisans.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guerrillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guerrillas. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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