as in partisans
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
militants within the movement insisted that there could be no compromise on the issue
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Recent Examples of militants
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.
—
ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Israeli forces have conducted airstrikes that have killed Hezbollah militants.
—Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2026
Shoshani said Israel has killed at least 1,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the operation.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Abuses by government forces in Burkina Faso as well as militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin — an al-Qaeda aligned militant group operating in the region — amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said.
—Wilson McMakin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Washington has boosted claims that attacks on Nigerian Christians by militants constitute genocide — a characterization the Nigerian government strongly refutes.
—Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Back then, Israel was battling Palestinian militants.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 1 Apr. 2026
The year prior, Caldwell and three other climbers, none older than 25, were taken hostage by Islamist militants during an expedition trip to Kyrgyzstan.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The law will not apply to Hamas militants who participated in the October 7, 2023, massacre, as the government is promoting a separate bill to establish a dedicated tribunal.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Israeli forces have conducted airstrikes that have killed Hezbollah militants.
—Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2026
Shoshani said Israel has killed at least 1,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the operation.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Abuses by government forces in Burkina Faso as well as militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin — an al-Qaeda aligned militant group operating in the region — amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said.
—Wilson McMakin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Washington has boosted claims that attacks on Nigerian Christians by militants constitute genocide — a characterization the Nigerian government strongly refutes.
—Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Back then, Israel was battling Palestinian militants.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 1 Apr. 2026
The year prior, Caldwell and three other climbers, none older than 25, were taken hostage by Islamist militants during an expedition trip to Kyrgyzstan.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The law will not apply to Hamas militants who participated in the October 7, 2023, massacre, as the government is promoting a separate bill to establish a dedicated tribunal.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militants
Noun
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Disrupting basic services to millions of Americans in such circumstances only makes sense to die-hard partisans.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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That was the result of angry partisans taking seriously Trump’s bogus election-fraud claims.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Now, Elliott, the Hamden Democrat, has been calling likely delegates and trudging around the state to meet with party activists, telling them Connecticut’s government does not do enough.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
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The group heard about it from other activists in Washington state.—
Dennis Valera,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Anti-porn crusaders of all ilks also hijacked the news of Radvinsky’s passing for their various pro-censorship agendas.—
Gustavo Turner,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
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But the 76-year-old congressman from New York is one of Washington’s few prominent crusaders against the sports-betting industry.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Militants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militants. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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