militia

American  

[mi-lish-uh] / mɪˈlɪʃ ə /

noun

militias plural

1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.

2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.

3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.

4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.

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militia British  

/ mɪˈlɪʃə /

noun

1. a body of citizen (as opposed to professional) soldiers

2. an organization containing men enlisted for service in emergency only

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• militias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of militia

1580–90; < Latin mīlitia soldiery, equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) soldier + -ia -ia

Explanation

If you live in a remote place that's under attack by an upstart band of thieves, start a militia. A militia is a band of civilians trained to do army type business, without officially joining the army. Militia comes from mīlet-, Latin for "soldier," but the word now refers to a band of fighters who aren't officially soldiers. Sometimes militias add on to regular army forces, like the citizen's militias who fought alongside regular troops in the Revolutionary War. But you'll frequently hear militia if you're listening to news about dangerously violent parts of the world where, instead of voting for change, groups form militias and fight for political power. It's also a verb: to militia.

Example Sentences

So, two quite pointed conditions were crafted into this one-sentence amendment: Citizens may bear arms if we need a national militia and if the men who come to it are well trained.

From Salon • Jul. 1, 2026

They serve in a unique militia system in which army conscripts do at least four months' service before being called up repeatedly over a decade for weeks-long refresher sessions.

From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026

Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim militia, political party and social movement, is Lebanon's most powerful group.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Since last year, when the RSF overran parts of Darfur and Kordofan, the militia has commandeered the gum trade, integrating it into its smuggling empire and further starving government coffers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

They decided they had to warn the communities surrounding Boston that the British were on their way, so that local militia could be roused to meet them.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell