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 guerilla
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
Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Beyond them is the Basij, a vast paramilitary network with hundreds of thousands of members embedded in every corner of Iranian society—in the streets, in neighborhoods, in schools, and mosques.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
Members of Iranian paramilitary women forces (Basij) wear masks of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US elect Donald Trump with a red cross of it, during an anti-Israeli rally to show their solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people, in Tehran, January 10, 2025.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
The leader of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed, Iranian state television reported, in a major body blow to Tehran’s governing theocracy and an immediate escalation of the nations’ long-simmering conflict.
—Jon Gambrell, Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Noun
That attack, which wounded about 100 U.S. troops, followed the U.S. drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran's elite Quds Force, part of the country's hardline paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Beyond them is the Basij, a vast paramilitary network with hundreds of thousands of members embedded in every corner of Iranian society—in the streets, in neighborhoods, in schools, and mosques.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
Members of Iranian paramilitary women forces (Basij) wear masks of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US elect Donald Trump with a red cross of it, during an anti-Israeli rally to show their solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people, in Tehran, January 10, 2025.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
The leader of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed, Iranian state television reported, in a major body blow to Tehran’s governing theocracy and an immediate escalation of the nations’ long-simmering conflict.
—Jon Gambrell, Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
-
Hamas has urged Palestinians not to cooperate with the GHF. GHF, which is registered in Delaware, began distributing food in May to Palestinians, who say Israeli troops open fire almost every day toward crowds on roads heading to the distribution points, through Israeli military zones.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 July 2025
-
Ruiz Rosales was detained by ICE between 10 a.m. and noon on April 29 near a military base located between Laurel and Baltimore.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
In Top Gun, Tom Cruise (who famously does all his own stunts) stars as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, a daring naval aviator training at the elite Top Gun school.—
Jené Luciani Sena
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2025
-
With Operation Midnight Hammer—a complex operation involving hundreds of aircraft and naval vessels, several dozen Tomahawk missiles, and 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—America joined Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.—
NR Editors,
National Review,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Local media have linked some of the attacks to a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a once-powerful guerrilla group, per BBC and NBC News.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
11 June 2025
-
While Chávez consistently denied involvement in drug trafficking, his administration fostered ties with guerrilla organizations and was accused of shielding FARC leaders and cocaine shipments.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group's destruction.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
arkansasonline.com,
6 July 2025
-
Israel’s military has launched thousands of attacks targeting any move by the Lebanese militant group to restore its capabilities.—
Nabih Bulos
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Adding to the Israeli public pressure to end the war is the large number of soldiers, 20, killed in Gaza in the past month alone.—
James Hider,
NPR,
7 July 2025
-
An ensemble of Army soldiers fired up the fife and drums on board the USS Constitution on Monday to provide a patriotic flair to the summer heat.—
Boston Herald staff,
Boston Herald,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
-
The moons, observed from 2019 to 2021 at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, were placed into subgroups within two categories of Saturnian irregulars; the Inuit group contains the Kiviuq and Siarnaq subgroups, and the Norse group contains the Phoebe, Mundilfari, and Kari subgroups.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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.com,
4 July 2025
-
On screen, Charlize Theron kicks ass an immortal warrior.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share