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 guerrilla
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
Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
The footage emerged a day after Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them, in an assault that raised new concerns about the safety of shipping through the waterway.
—Arkansas Online, 22 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
That sort of overreach could give Hezbollah new life by lending credence to the political rationale behind its paramilitary activities.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
The footage emerged a day after Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them, in an assault that raised new concerns about the safety of shipping through the waterway.
—Arkansas Online, 22 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
-
Tensions have risen in recent months between the United States and the United Kingdom governments over a slew of topics, like the United States' joint war in Iran, the administration's tariffs and ongoing disagreements over theNATO military alliance.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
On April 14th, as Kyiv braced for a round of Russian strikes, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was seven hundred and fifty miles away, in Berlin, forging a defense agreement with Germany, part of a tour of European allies to raise support for military aid.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Authorities said Topo had ties to a dissident faction of Colombia's FARC guerillas and was wanted by a New York court.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Advertisement Hezbollah maintained guerrilla-style warfare against Israel throughout the occupation of southern Lebanon up until 2000, when Israel withdrew from the country.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But there was little sign that Washington might be willing to abandon its naval blockade and accept the offer.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
-
By October 2020, 190 of our naval ships, nearly 65% of the deployable fleet, reported at least one infection.—
Arthur Caplan,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a 1916 study, Navy soldiers seemed to better learn Morse code when it was played overnight.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
Ryan shot back, quoting a soldier from the CBS report, that telling the truth is important.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Israel has also enjoyed a number of military successes against Iran and its Lebanese proxy, the Hezbollah militant group.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
However, some members of the militant group refused to engage in the peace process from the start.—
Annabella González,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
The industry first broke into my social circle, in Shanghai, in January, when a German filmmaker friend was hired to join a set in Xi’an, the ancient capital known for its terra-cotta warriors.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Even Dan Patrick, hardly a culture warrior, argued that point last year.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Because the incident spanned two jurisdictions, Pennsylvania State Police troopers from the Butler barracks have been called to take over the investigation.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The trooper’s unmarked cruiser crossed a double yellow line in Woburn and struck Schettino’s vehicle.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
