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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Dissimilar Words
as in guerrilla
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paramilitary
Katherine Doyle, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
The deadly Israeli military offensive targeting Hezbollah — a paramilitary group backed by Tehran — has emerged as a critical point of contention surrounding the tenuous US-Iran ceasefire.
—Jennifer Hansler, CNN Money, 9 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
In an interview with NBC News, a former commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s powerful paramilitary group, conceded that many of the regime’s conditions were unlikely to be accepted by Washington but insisted Tehran was prepared to make concessions.
—Katherine Doyle, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
The deadly Israeli military offensive targeting Hezbollah — a paramilitary group backed by Tehran — has emerged as a critical point of contention surrounding the tenuous US-Iran ceasefire.
—Jennifer Hansler, CNN Money, 9 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
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also holding talks with his counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian digital transformation chief who took up his new post in January and is credited with advancing military drone technology.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in February, 2022, Colby opposed the Biden Administration’s surge of arms, military assets, and munitions to aid the country in its fight.—
Garrett M. Graff,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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García said mining areas in Bolívar state remain under the control of organizations such as gangs such as Tren de Aragua and Tren de Guayana and ELN guerrillas, which operate across different mines and control workers, transport routes and processing centers.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
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Israel and Hezbollah have fought multiple wars since the group was formed in the 1980s as a guerrilla force resisting Israel’s then occupation of southern Lebanon.—
Abby Sewell,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Demining in effect Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed numerous naval mines in the waterway in early March to enforce a blockade at the start of the conflict with the US and Israel.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Apr. 2026
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His comments to reporters at the White House come less than three hours after the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and after marathon talks in Pakistan this weekend failed to yield a deal.—
CNN staff,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Israeli military’s top general took swift action, suspending all operational activities of a reserve battalion involved in the detention of CNN’s team in the West Bank – including dismissing one soldier from military service.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
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Like his comic book backstory, Castle is a former soldier who goes on a revenge mission after his wife and children were murdered.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Israel wants Lebanon's government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, but the militant group has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
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But the militant group has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades.—
E. Eduardo Castillo,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Mortal Kombat 2 will focus on the Mortal Kombat tournament, the big battle in which warriors from different realms face off against one another in a fight to the bloody finish.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Cheek plates depict a warrior about to kill a sacrificial ram.—
Ryan Brennan
April 10,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Michigan State Police wrangled a Texas Longhorn steer back into custody on April 8, adding to the list of wildlife calls that state troopers have been asked to assist with.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The trooper’s union is the one major bargaining unit not in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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