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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as in guerilla
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Recent Examples of paramilitary
James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Sudan has been in a state of civil war since 2023 when tensions between the military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open warfare.
—Samy Magdy The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Israel helped support paramilitary settlements in Thai border areas in the 1980s, a project that eventually led to an intricate system of labor migration, initially through private brokers and eventually through a bilateral agreement that governs Thai laborers and their Israeli employers today.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s military in the country’s calamitous civil war, signed a political charter with its allies late Saturday that aimed to establish a parallel Sudanese government in areas under their control.
—Declan Walsh, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
An obscure Russian paramilitary group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Moscow insisted that the order had come from Ukraine’s intelligence services.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Sudan has been in a state of civil war since 2023 when tensions between the military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open warfare.
—Samy Magdy The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Israel helped support paramilitary settlements in Thai border areas in the 1980s, a project that eventually led to an intricate system of labor migration, initially through private brokers and eventually through a bilateral agreement that governs Thai laborers and their Israeli employers today.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s military in the country’s calamitous civil war, signed a political charter with its allies late Saturday that aimed to establish a parallel Sudanese government in areas under their control.
—Declan Walsh, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
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Now, an expert in military manpower at RAND wants to see the services shift their focus from quantity to quality.—
Cory Smith,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Mar. 2025
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Following the tense exchange, the Trump administration cut off military assistance and some intelligence sharing to Kyiv.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Waning American naval influence combined with the growing size of China's navy and its assertiveness on the seas will pose major challenges to U.S. and allied military readiness in the Indo-Pacific.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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But they are camouflaged to avoid naval patrols and have become a significant force in the international drug trade, delivering potentially tens of millions of dollars of cocaine per vessel.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Set in 1987, Predator starts with Schwarzenegger's Dutch taking out guerrillas in the Central American jungle with his beefy battalion of soldiers — played by Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, Sonny Landham, and future director of The Predator, Shane Black.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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Catch up quick: Shortly after a statue of longtime Oregonian editor Harvey W. Scott atop Mount Tabor was toppled in 2020, a guerrilla art-style, 4-foot bust of York appeared in its place.—
Meira Gebel,
Axios,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The militant group has said that the move would affect the remaining hostages as well.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
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In December, a coalition of opposition fighters led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over cities and eventually Damascus as regime forces retreated.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Watch Captain America: The First Avenger on Disney+ Captain Marvel Vers (Brie Larson) is a soldier from the Kree Empire’s planet Hala.—
Jacqueline Weiss,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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Most of the civilians were killed by government soldiers.—
Ross O'Keefe,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In a word, even before yesterday, Donbas was well on its way to becoming Ukraine’s Bosnia -- with Putin playing the part of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, Russia playing the part of Serbia, and Putin’s Donbas supporters playing the part of Bosnian Serb irregulars.—
Alexander J. Motyl,
Foreign Affairs,
17 July 2014
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But when strong-arm tactics by security irregulars failed to suppress the massive demonstrations in Tahrir Square, the senior officer corps, who regarded themselves foremost as guardians of the first Egyptian revolution, sent Mubarak into retirement.—
Robert H. Pelletreau,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Feb. 2011
Noun
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The authoritarian manosphere is organized around a hierarchy topped by heroic male warriors.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2025
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The Dan Bongino Show, Feb. 2, 2024 'The left is evil' Throughout his media career, Bongino has portrayed himself as a fierce partisan warrior.—
Nick McMillan,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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