A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
Used in a Sentence
paramilitary
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for paramilitary.
Editorial note
Other figures running drug distribution operations at this scale stay physically outside the US and build up paramilitary defense/enforcement.
Examples16
Definitions3
Parts of speech2
Quick take
A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of paramilitary gathered in one view.
Relating to a paramilitary.
(colloquial) A member of a paramilitary group.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for paramilitary.
noun
A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
adjective
Relating to a paramilitary.
noun
(colloquial) A member of a paramilitary group.
Example sentences
Other figures running drug distribution operations at this scale stay physically outside the US and build up paramilitary defense/enforcement.
There wasn't any paramilitary training or funding, contrary to what Russia would like us to believe.
The California State Military Reserve[1], for example, is a paramilitary organization under that legal definition.
And let's not forget that the UK has terrorist and paramilitary groups operating here.
This went hand in hand with the rise of the lucrative paramilitary police state, and a massive per-capita increase in black prisoners.
The world watches as organized crime and cartels wage paramilitary war against the Mexican people, dropping busloads of kids into mass graves.
By better training, I mean less paramilitary emphasis?
Heavily armed and violent paramilitary groups will occupy potential arenas of demonstration in the run up to events such as political and economic conventions.
Men have traditionally been involved with military/paramilitary type situations, which demand discipline.
But I think it's actually a good thing that some domestic terrorist groups don't fit the definition of paramilitary organization.
About two dozen states have similar paramilitary state defense forces[2], all of which are distinct from both federal military units and the state's own National Guard units.
Even with one of the largest paramilitary forces in the world, India needs to stagger its elections across a couple of weeks as the security apparatus moves around.
Quote examples
Most domestic terrorist groups the FBI tracks don't really fit the definition of "paramilitary organizations".
That's one strategy used by paramilitary organizations, but so is "seize and hold territory" or "persistently disrupt supply lines".
I wonder why we use the term "terrorism", as opposed to paramilitary organization, which I think is a more relevant construct.
Because "paramilitary" has a strict legal definition[0] in addition the commonly used informal definition of "organized armed group that's not a government sanctioned military power".
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use paramilitary in a sentence?
Other figures running drug distribution operations at this scale stay physically outside the US and build up paramilitary defense/enforcement.
What does paramilitary mean?
A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
What part of speech is paramilitary?
paramilitary is commonly used as noun, adjective.