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
The martial law lasted six hours as he was forced to lift it after the assembly unanimously voted it down.
—
Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Because the film was made during censorship under martial law in Taiwan, the film was heavily cut.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
And by 1987 Taiwan would lift martial law — imposed since 1949 — under pressure from protesters.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 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
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Because the film was made during censorship under martial law in Taiwan, the film was heavily cut.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
And by 1987 Taiwan would lift martial law — imposed since 1949 — under pressure from protesters.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 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
See All Example Sentences for martial law
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial law
Noun
-
The groups challenging the restriction said the state law prevents social service organizations from helping voters with disabilities or those who are not proficient in English, a conflict with the Voting Rights Act.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
-
Anthropic calls for more stringent regulation and supports efforts by states such as New York and California that have passed more aggressive AI laws.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
Facial recognition is an increasingly common law enforcement tool, with public databases holding images of 117 million Americans, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law School.—
Alyssa Spady,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
The concept originated in Roman law and was carried through English common law into the laws of Britain’s American colonies, and on to the rest of the United States.—
Melissa Scanlan,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
If approved by voters this fall, the noncitizen voting measure would enable the council to pass an ordinance allowing noncitizen residents of Los Angeles to vote in citywide and Los Angeles Unified school board elections.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The ordinance has shaped growth in Davis for more than two decades and has repeatedly blocked large peripheral housing projects.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The work requirement had previously stopped at 55 years old, but the legislation extended it to 64.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
The Law Commission has argued that the common law is sufficiently flexible to recognise a distinct category of personal property capable of accommodating crypto-tokens and other digital assets and has recommended legislation to remove any uncertainty.—
Susie Violet Ward,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday moved forward with a wide-ranging package of potential revisions to the city’s constitution, including taking a first step toward giving noncitizens the right to vote in city elections.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
In that decision, the high court laid out a new test for courts to apply when considering the constitution of a gun law.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Martial law.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial%20law. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
