militants

noun

plural of militant
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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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 militants Boko Haram militants in Nigeria are using (mostly closed) AI to plan attacks and gain tactical advantages, The New York Times reported. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 9 Aug. 2026 That standoff lasted 41 days, ending with the arrest of the militants and the death of one, rancher Robert LaVoy Finicum, who was shot by law enforcement. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Some of the jihadi militants in Nigeria have presented themselves as an alternative to the government in areas with limited government and security presence. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026 Zaidi was supposed to visit Riyadh in late July, but the trip was canceled due to the strikes, which killed 20 militants, including five Iranians, on July 29. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, the war in Afghanistan spilled into Pakistan, where the United States carried out hundreds of drone strikes against militants attacking American troops across the border. — Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026 Witnesses recounted Israeli airstrikes launched in November 2023, just weeks after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel. — Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 After a nine-month pause, Houthi militants in Yemen allied to Iran resumed attacks on vessels in the Red Sea on July 22, 2026, directly targeting the group’s longtime foe Saudi Arabia. — Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026 The Israeli military said the weekend strikes targeted militants. — Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militants
  1. partisans
  2. activists
  3. crusaders
Noun
  • Exhibited for the first time outside of Sarajevo, the churning Socialist Realist homage invokes Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People in figuring partisans heroically overcoming their would-be Nazi aggressors.
    — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 10 July 2026
  • Reynolds tracks the willingness of northern partisans—Carl Schurz, Horace Greeley, Lyman Trumbull, and even Sumner himself—to abandon that cause by the dwindling references to Jamestown and Plymouth.
    — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of partisans
Noun
  • Pacific Legal argued this was part of the problem — a private group of unelected activists had repeatedly forced others to expend resources defending themselves.
    — Michael Phillis, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Before Thursday's meeting, residents and activists gathered outside The Chambers in downtown Woodstock.
    — Emily McLeod, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of activists
Noun
  • The book is full of stories of villains, like the venomous heroin that took so many of Seattle’s crusaders as well as the music industry that never quite understood where Soundgarden belonged.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 9 June 2026
  • The facility remains popular among anti-immigrant crusaders, and Attorney General Uthmeier’s campaign store sells Alligator Alcatraz bumper stickers, T-shirts, and caps.
    — Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Definition of crusaders

Browse Nearby Words

militantness
militants
militarism
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Cite this Entry

“Militants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militants. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of militants for Spanish Speakers

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