militia
Americannoun
-
a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.
-
a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.
-
all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.
-
a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.
noun
-
a body of citizen (as opposed to professional) soldiers
-
an organization containing men enlisted for service in emergency only
Etymology
Origin of militia
1580–90; < Latin mīlitia soldiery, equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) soldier + -ia -ia
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Despite a shared enmity for the United States and Israel, the Shiite and Sunni militias are bitter sectarian foes.
From Los Angeles Times
As the spiritual and political leader of the Middle East’s second-largest nation, he projected power through Shiite militias across the region and survived waves of unrest as autocrats around him were toppled.
Tehran could also mobilize paramilitary groups it cultivated in the region, including Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthis, Talé added.
From Los Angeles Times
Last June, Rwanda and Congo reached a U.S.-mediated peace deal known as the Washington Accords, agreeing to end prolonged fighting, often via proxy militias.
In January federal security forces in the Amhara region said they had seized 50,000 rounds of ammunition that they alleged had been sent by Eritrea to anti-government militias.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
