as in law
control of an area by military forces rather than by the police
The government has declared martial law throughout the city to stop the riots. an area placed under martial law
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 martial law
This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.
—
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The Ukrainian leader’s remarks come as his country is under martial law, imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
By season 1's conclusion, Fisk has taken over the city's government as mayor, locked away any potential threats to his power in a secret prison, installed his own shadow force of corrupt cops to exact his will, outlawed vigilanteism, and declared martial law.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
National reconciliation is Lee’s priority despite controversies Ex-President Yoon’s martial law declaration brought tens of thousands of ordinary South Koreans onto the street and rekindled dark memories of military rule.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The Ukrainian leader’s remarks come as his country is under martial law, imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
By season 1's conclusion, Fisk has taken over the city's government as mayor, locked away any potential threats to his power in a secret prison, installed his own shadow force of corrupt cops to exact his will, outlawed vigilanteism, and declared martial law.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
National reconciliation is Lee’s priority despite controversies Ex-President Yoon’s martial law declaration brought tens of thousands of ordinary South Koreans onto the street and rekindled dark memories of military rule.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial law
Noun
-
Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to military law, while Israeli settlers are subject to Israeli civilian law.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
-
More than half of states now have some form of school cellphone ban enshrined in law, and about two-thirds of school principals reported in a recent RAND survey that their schools have an all-day cellphone ban in place.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The lawsuit claims suppression of speech, retaliation, unreasonable seizure, unreasonably prolonged seizure, excessive force, false imprisonment and common law battery.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Officers James Sribniak and Jack Currie are facing assault and common law offenses.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
No ordinance was passed that declared the bottom 5 percent of Burgher children (later raised to 10) superfluous, but this was the beginning of a long period of economic contraction throughout the empire, and competition for a dwindling supply of guild positions became intense.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Elected leaders give city management direction and OK ordinances, while city staff executes those decisions and drafts policies or proposals for the council to consider.—
Shawn Raymundo,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The most immediate and achievable step is to support legislation that gives youth the right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment, protecting their privacy, dignity and safety.—
Dana Perino,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Perhaps the most daunting is that legislation passed after the 2008 financial crisis explicitly limits most regulated mortgages to a term of 30 years at the maximum.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Advertisement On the Democratic side, Virginia’s legislature has begun the complicated process of working to amend the state constitution to enable redistricting.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
This expansive reading of the constitution grants much greater powers to the president of the United States than previously accepted.—
Calvin Woodward,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martial law.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial%20law. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share