as in rebels
a person who rises up against authority
the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable
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Recent Examples of insurgents
To Alfredo De Avila, of the Oakland Center for Third World Organizing, the UFW’s claims that Communist insurgents are plotting against Chavez and his union highlight how far the UFW has fallen.
—
Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
When Sahelian countries tried to talk to their insurgents, France fiercely opposed it.
—Obi Anyadike, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026
That kind of chaos could easily spill over Iran’s borders, and not just by land; the Persian Gulf is narrow, and would not pose much of an obstacle to terrorists or insurgents who cross it in speedboats.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday.
—CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
When Sahelian countries tried to talk to their insurgents, France fiercely opposed it.
—Obi Anyadike, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026
That kind of chaos could easily spill over Iran’s borders, and not just by land; the Persian Gulf is narrow, and would not pose much of an obstacle to terrorists or insurgents who cross it in speedboats.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday.
—CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurgents
Noun
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Ai, a Chinese Vietnamese American filmmaker and writer, focuses on rebels and outsiders of mainstream culture.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
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As tension erupts between Jewish settlers and Palestinian rebels, the British police and Army enforce an indiscriminate crackdown on Arab villagers, confiscating their land, enforcing curfews, limiting travel, and beating and arresting any who resist.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The organizers were arrested and denounced by authorities as counter-revolutionaries.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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Silvia Hernandez is an Orlando resident and the granddaughter of Cuban revolutionaries buried in Miami.—
Silvia Hernandez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insurgents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurgents. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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