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
Goldin’s remains, according to two Israeli sources, are likely held in Rafah in southern Gaza near an area where up to 200 Hamas militants are hiding in underground tunnels in territory occupied by Israeli forces.
—
Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
In 2010, while covering an event in Lara, a western state that has long been a government stronghold, he and several fellow journalists were ambushed by a mob of militants loyal to the regime.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
That came a day after militants returned the remains of three Israeli hostages who had been taken to Gaza in the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, which started the devastating war.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Hamas had agreed per the ceasefire to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants who were killed in the Gaza war.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
In first half of that decade, Palestinian militants from Gaza and Sinai had killed 403 Israelis, including both civilians and soldiers.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Israel’s military alleged that the strikes came after Hamas militants attacked its soldiers in Rafah, a southern area of Gaza currently under Israeli control.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2025
Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian militants killed in the war.
—USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
The Assad family, members of the sect, ruled Syria for over half a century until Bashar was ousted in December by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country’s political and sectarian order.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
In 2010, while covering an event in Lara, a western state that has long been a government stronghold, he and several fellow journalists were ambushed by a mob of militants loyal to the regime.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
That came a day after militants returned the remains of three Israeli hostages who had been taken to Gaza in the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, which started the devastating war.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Hamas had agreed per the ceasefire to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants who were killed in the Gaza war.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
In first half of that decade, Palestinian militants from Gaza and Sinai had killed 403 Israelis, including both civilians and soldiers.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Israel’s military alleged that the strikes came after Hamas militants attacked its soldiers in Rafah, a southern area of Gaza currently under Israeli control.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2025
Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian militants killed in the war.
—USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
The Assad family, members of the sect, ruled Syria for over half a century until Bashar was ousted in December by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country’s political and sectarian order.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for militants
Noun
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Beloved by liberal partisans and loathed by their counterparts, Pelosi was one of the last engineers of an old-school political machine that could count votes better than anyone in a generation.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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Critics will predictably argue that those two positions are inherently linked; on the opposite side of the political spectrum, oil and gas partisans could point to Gates’ essay as proof that climate hysteria was misguided all along and that fossil use should continue unimpeded.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Latino political activists USA TODAY spoke with cautioned that voters who turn their back on Trump won’t necessarily embrace the Democratic Party.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The president’s office declined to comment on activists’ claims that the delay in vaccinations is a deliberate strategy intended to leave indigenous communities more vulnerable to the new coronavirus.—
Adriana Brasileiro,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While the action-awareness gap isn’t lost on climate crusaders and corporate comptrollers alike, most climate solutions for reduction start with sentience—fashion included, and no, not just in trend forecasting.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Oct. 2025
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Today’s moral crusaders assume an elementary cause-and-effect relationship between books and readers.—
Kevin Dickinson,
Big Think,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Militants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/militants. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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