paramilitary
adjective
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This term paramilitary can take in a wide range of organizations, but is usually applied to forces formed by a government. Groups opposing a government, even when organized along military lines, are more often referred to as guerrillas or insurgents. In countries with weak central governments (such as, in recent times, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, or Congo), warlords may form their own paramilitary forces and take over all local police and military functions. Paramilitary often has a sinister sound today, since it's also applied to groups of off-duty military or police personnel who carry out illegal violence, often at night, with the quiet support of a government.
Examples of paramilitary in a Sentence
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
By The New York Times General al-Burhan, who leads Sudan’s military, and Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, who leads the Rapid Support Forces were once allies, but went to war nearly two years ago over a dispute about a plan for the paramilitary troops to be absorbed by the military.
—Declan Walsh, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Reuters — Sudan’s army is close to taking control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, state TV reported on Thursday, in a significant milestone in a two-year-old conflict that threatens to fracture the country.
—Reuters, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
However, the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard sought to separate the Houthis’ actions from those of Tehran this weekend.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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