insurgency

noun

in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce insurgency (audio)
plural insurgencies
1
2
: the quality or state of being insurgent
specifically : a condition of revolt against a government that is less than an organized revolution and that is not recognized as belligerency

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Insurgencies fall into the category of "irregular warfare", since an insurgency normally lacks the organization of a revolution, even though it has the same aims. Revolutions often begin within a country's armed forces, whereas insurgencies often arise in remote areas, where they gain strength slowly by winning the confidence of rural populations. An insurgency may be based on ethnic or religious identity, or its roots may be basically political or economic. Since insurgencies are rarely strong enough to face a national army head-on, insurgents (often called guerrillas) tend to use such tactics as bombing, kidnapping, hostage taking, and hijacking.

Examples of insurgency in a Sentence

there always seems to be insurgency of some type in that troubled country
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
What Drake’s defenders didn’t take into account is that Yasiin came up when Hip-Hop was still an insurgency. Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024 But Ford ran him a surprisingly close race, and Eugene McCarthy's third-party insurgency aggravated the suspense by tipping several states out of the Carter column. Peter Goldman, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024 In the late 20th century, Canada harbored serious terrorists who fueled a violent insurgency in India’s north. Daniel Block, The Atlantic, 30 Nov. 2024 The film follows three women in the aftermath of Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency, which took place in 2021. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 23 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for insurgency 

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of insurgency was in 1803

Dictionary Entries Near insurgency

Cite this Entry

“Insurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgency. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

insurgency

noun
in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən-sē How to pronounce insurgency (audio)
plural insurgencies

Legal Definition

insurgency

noun
in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən-sē How to pronounce insurgency (audio)
plural insurgencies
: the quality or state of being insurgent
specifically : a condition of revolt against a recognized government that does not reach the proportions of an organized revolutionary government and is not recognized as belligerency

More from Merriam-Webster on insurgency

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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