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
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in guerrilla
Related Words
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 paramilitary
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2026
The Democratic Republic of Congo will create a paramilitary unit to police its mines with funding from the US and United Arab Emirates, the country’s General Inspectorate of Mines said.
—Michael J Kavanagh, Bloomberg, 27 Apr. 2026
Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Golshan Fathi, a woman living in Tehran, said the Basij paramilitary, which played a key role in the bloody crushing of mass protests last month, was showing a heavy presence in the streets of the capital.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
The Wide Awakes were seen in the South more as a paramilitary unit than as a civilian police force.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2026
The Democratic Republic of Congo will create a paramilitary unit to police its mines with funding from the US and United Arab Emirates, the country’s General Inspectorate of Mines said.
—Michael J Kavanagh, Bloomberg, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
And on the ground in Iran, there isn’t a single group or person or movement to whom these IRGC or other police or paramilitary could surrender.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Golshan Fathi, a woman living in Tehran, said the Basij paramilitary, which played a key role in the bloody crushing of mass protests last month, was showing a heavy presence in the streets of the capital.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
-
America’s reckless military adventure continues.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
The passenger is currently being isolated at Gómez Ulla Hospital, a military hospital in Madrid.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Once on scene, the teens film the gathering themselves, posting videos and creating something akin to guerrilla advertising for the next takeover.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
The discovery occurred in Mogok, Myanmar’s gem-mining heartland, which remains volatile due to ongoing civil war and has recently changed control between guerrilla forces and the military.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
It was moved a day later to a naval base on the mainland for inspection and the explosives were later destroyed, according to Greece’s public broadcaster, ERT.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
-
For the first time, officials confirmed that the large warship will use nuclear power and act as a heavily armed command ship for future naval operations.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The clinic was close to the partition, where Israeli soldiers often fired their weapons.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
During the hike, one of the soldiers fell into the ocean.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it blamed on the TTP, a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.—
Riaz Khan,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
Israel and the militant group have repeatedly accused one another of violating the agreement.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Sonja Shaw, 43, the school board president of Chino Valley Unified, has achieved a public profile as a MAGA culture warrior.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
From exile in Amsterdam, filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi reflects on his family nickname, Paikar, the Persian word for warrior.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Once troopers arrived, Williams raised the firearm and pointed it toward police before Blanchette shot and killed her, the report said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
Authorities said a Massachusetts State Police trooper and an armed civilian — described as a former Marine licensed to carry — confronted the suspect as people fled their vehicles and sought cover.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
