guerrilla warfare

American  

noun

1. the use of hit-and-run tactics by small, mobile groups of irregular forces operating in territory controlled by a hostile, regular force.

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guerrilla warfare Cultural  

1. Wars fought with hit-and-run tactics by small groups against an invader or against an established government. (See counterinsurgency.)

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Etymology

Origin of guerrilla warfare

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Navy’s siege is revealing a hole in Tehran’s strategy of guerrilla warfare and controlling the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

But as a group, the Taliban sustained more than 20 years of war against the US and its Nato allies, so its capacity to carry out unconventional and guerrilla warfare is well evidenced.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Livelsberger was a member of the Army’s elite Green Berets, a special forces unit and guerrilla warfare experts, according to an Army statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025

Most of Ireland ultimately became an independent state in 1922, after several years of bloody guerrilla warfare.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2024

Puberty is the equivalent of guerrilla warfare on your body.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi