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 war erupted in April 2023 after former allies Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fell out in a power struggle. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 Tabriz is believed to host underground missile bases run by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. — Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
Noun
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 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
  1. military
  2. guerrilla
  3. naval
  4. soldier
  5. militant
  6. irregular
  7. warrior
  8. trooper
Adjective
  • Recent attacks have also exposed how Russia’s air defense systems were not designed to combat drones, but rather to shoot down conventional military aircraft and missiles, analysts previously told CNN.
    — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • By the 1950s, the brand moved beyond military function to everyday style (the appearance of James Dean’s Wayfarers in Rebel Without a Cause certainly helped).
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of military
Noun
  • The new president has pledged to intensify military operations and air strikes against guerrilla, drug-trafficking and paramilitary groups, while ending peace negotiations begun under his predecessor, leftist President Gustavo Petro.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Violence has intensified across several regions as criminal organizations and guerrilla groups have expanded their territorial influence over the past several years.
    — Armando Regil Velasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of guerrilla
Adjective
  • The list includes measures such as an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing military forces and permanently ending the war.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base and the Tartus naval base were key Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of naval
Noun
  • The soldiers sent back an empty tank shell and a video thanking him.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • All along the parapets, Ormund’s child soldiers are vomiting and pissing themselves.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of soldier
Adjective
  • Released foreign prisoners, mainly Syrian Islamist militant prisoners, would be transferred to Lebanon’s General Security intelligence agency that is responsible for enforcing immigration laws.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Trump had said Israeli forces would withdraw as the Hamas militant group’s disarmament is completed.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 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
  • While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Today, cargo ships are facing down everything from boarders to kamikaze drones, cyber warriors and advanced missiles.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • Records from that time indicated state troopers found Farinacci sitting on a park bench, out of breath, the affidavit reads.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The passenger, Kimbrew Horton, 29, of Chicago, also got out of the vehicle and tried to run away, but another trooper who arrived at the scene caught him.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of trooper

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Cite this Entry

“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of paramilitary for Spanish Speakers

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