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
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Recent Examples of martial law
In December 2020, just days after Barr rebuffed Trump’s Antrim County claims, lawyers in the White House counsel’s office helped prevent the president from heeding activists’ call to essentially declare martial law to seize voting machines.
—
Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 13 Apr. 2026
The island only held its first democratic elections in the early 1990s, following decades of martial law under the KMT.
—Wayne Chang, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Back then, Cheng was known for her criticism of the KMT, which ruled Taiwan under martial law until 1987.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 4 Apr. 2026
Violence was so prevalent that, in 1871, Grant invoked martial law in South Carolina.
—Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 13 Apr. 2026
The island only held its first democratic elections in the early 1990s, following decades of martial law under the KMT.
—Wayne Chang, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Back then, Cheng was known for her criticism of the KMT, which ruled Taiwan under martial law until 1987.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 4 Apr. 2026
Violence was so prevalent that, in 1871, Grant invoked martial law in South Carolina.
—Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial law
Noun
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For example, a West Virginia law passed in early 2025 gives teachers more power to exclude disruptive students from their classrooms.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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Rebecca Miller, the executive director of DC Preservation League, has spent 23 years at the organization, which sued to stop the golf course takeover and joined a coalition attempting to force the Kennedy Center to comply with preservation laws.—
Steven Sloan,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Noun
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The rule against prior restraint derives from the English common law principle that liberty of the press is essential to a free state.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Apr. 2026
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History belies that interpretation, as prior to the amendment, common law prevailed and all (except Blacks, Amerindians and offspring of diplomats) were regarded as citizens at birth (one of the unenumerated rights of the Ninth Amendment).—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The mayor pointed to the city’s adaptive reuse ordinance intended to spur the conversion of existing buildings into housing.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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While the new initiative controls how many businesses are allowed to exist, the previous ordinance controlled how businesses applied, were approved and complied with regulations.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Noun
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This spring, Minnesota state lawmakers are considering legislation (SF 3769/HF 3609) to further enforce compliance with the 340B program, which allows qualifying medical facilities to buy medications from pharmaceutical companies at a discount.—
Dené K. Dryden,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
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The Biden-era legislation was enacted after various American businesses had complaints over being bypassed for service by carriers, or being charged excessive late fees throughout the heavy supply chain bottlenecks throughout 2021 and 2022.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
Noun
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For too long, Congress has not fulfilled its constitution obligation to check the power of the executive branch.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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North Korea has revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, according to a draft of the text reviewed by Reuters, codifying leader Kim Jong Un’s push to treat the two Koreas as separate states.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Martial law.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial%20law. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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