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
This is not a call for martial law or a long-term military presence.
—
Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Lee took office in June, replacing Yoon Suk Yeol, after Yoon’s removal from office for declaring martial law last December.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In July, special prosecutors investigating Yoon's declaration of martial law served a search warrant on the Korean part of a military base jointly operated with the United States.
—Steve Holland, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
This is mission creep in action—by breaking the police state’s hostile takeover of the country and our Constitution into a series off incremental moves, the administration sidesteps the broad public backlash that a single, sweeping declaration of martial law would provoke.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Lee took office in June, replacing Yoon Suk Yeol, after Yoon’s removal from office for declaring martial law last December.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In July, special prosecutors investigating Yoon's declaration of martial law served a search warrant on the Korean part of a military base jointly operated with the United States.
—Steve Holland, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
This is mission creep in action—by breaking the police state’s hostile takeover of the country and our Constitution into a series off incremental moves, the administration sidesteps the broad public backlash that a single, sweeping declaration of martial law would provoke.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial law
Noun
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The grants were allocated under President Joe Biden's signature Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, an anti-gun violence law signed after the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
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Aside from his signature 2021 criminal justice bill, Cooper signed legislation into law in 2020, allowing judges to reduce mandatory minimum sentences mandated by law for drug offenders.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Legal experts have criticized the legality and reality of Operation Restoring Justice, with former Attorney General Dominic Grieve telling The Independent that the courts would likely block the plan under British common law.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
26 Aug. 2025
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Still, the federal agents’ use of force seen in these situations is not altogether different than common law enforcement tactics, policing experts said.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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O’Connell updated a city ordinance that required immigration enforcement to be reported to his office, and endorsed The Belonging Fund, which provided aid to families affected by the raids.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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In May, the West Memphis City Council unanimously approved two ordinances authorizing a $10 billion payment-in-lieu of taxes agreement between the city and an unnamed company.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 2020 legislation also created penalties for using a bot to get around an online sales platform’s cap on ticket sales and then reselling those tickets at inflated prices.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The payments are required under legislation passed to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee.—
Ricardo Torres,
jsonline.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This is part of our constitution.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
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The 74-year-old had called the vote under article 49 of the French constitution to pressure lawmakers to back his proposal to slash €44 billion ($52 billion) from the 2026 budget in a bid to reduce the country’s fiscal deficit.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martial law.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial%20law. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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