paramilitary 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of paramilitarynext
as in military
of or relating to a group that is not an official army but that operates and is organized like an army Government forces have been attacked by heavily armed paramilitary groups in several villages. a paramilitary police force

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paramilitary

2 of 2

noun

as in guerrilla

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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 paramilitary
Adjective
The season 2 premiere sees one of the most audacious yet — a white nationalist paramilitary group operating in the Florida panhandle. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Sep. 2026 Rather than chart her full life, the Hindi-language film, starring Sneha Kumari in the title role, isolates a single 48-hour standoff in which 2,000 armed police and paramilitary personnel surrounded a village to capture her, then 17 years old. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
Advertisement When Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, then the relatively unknown mayor of Tehran, was propelled to the presidency in 2005, Mojtaba Khamenei was thought to have orchestrated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij paramilitary’s support for his candidacy. — Kay Armin Serjoie, Time, 9 Mar. 2026 A number of police stations, locations related to the security forces — including the Basij paramilitary — and intelligence facilities across Tehran have been targeted by airstrikes, CBS News producer in Tehran, Seyed Bathei, reports. — CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
  1. military
  2. guerrilla
  3. naval
  4. soldier
  5. militant
  6. irregular
  7. warrior
  8. trooper
Adjective
  • Trask, who grow up under the demanding eye of father Cyrus (Tracy Letts), a one-legged Civil War hero who guides them with military rigor.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Western military officers have said key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever launch an attack on any NATO ally.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of military
Noun
  • One breakthrough leading into that period of acclaim was Ferrer’s 1968 guerrilla action involving driving 87 bushels of fall leaves from Philadelphia to New York in a pickup truck, and scattering them in front of art institutions.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In contrast, some discount the 1960s dates and consider the start to be 1972, when the ZANLA insurgency began a new, more intense level of guerrilla fighting.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of guerrilla
Adjective
  • That flexibility gives naval forces another option when a platform faces different types of threats.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The archive includes 168 autograph letters by the naval commander, along with battle papers, family documents, naval logs, and books from Nelson and Hamilton’s libraries.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of naval
Noun
  • But what chance would American soldiers have against a country whose military doctrine has already imagined active resistance in populated areas, backed by citizens who could potentially provide intelligence, surveillance and other forms of support?
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Not so for Cal, who meets soldier Olivier during the Napoleonic Wars and creates a paradox to keep him from dying on the battlefield… only for Olivier to disappear from the timeline entirely.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of soldier
Adjective
  • Israel said the overnight strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a commander in the Hamas militant group.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The militant group took over roughly one-third of Iraq after key Iraqi army divisions collapsed and retreated in the onslaught.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of militant
Noun
  • Setting off in pursuit was José María Zuloaga, a taciturn lieutenant colonel in the Mexican army supported by a band of irregulars.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.
    — Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of irregular
Noun
  • On June 21, Langlade and more than two hundred Ojibwe and Odawa soldiers attacked while most of the Miami warriors were away at their summer hunting camps and the women were working in the fields outside the walls.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Donskoy is not the first warrior saint Russia has invoked during its war in Ukraine.
    — CNN Staff, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • Deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers caught up with Lopez, who sped away at speeds of up to 100 mph, according to his arrest report.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Tennessee man accused of killing a Kentucky state trooper was on probation and already wanted for a violation, with a criminal record that included assault, fraud and illegally possessing a gun.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of trooper

Browse Nearby Words

paramilitaries
paramilitary
paramount
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Cite this Entry

“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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