guerrilla

American  

[guh-ril-uh] / gəˈrɪl ə /

Or guerilla

noun

1. a member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc.

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adjective

1. pertaining to such fighters or their technique of warfare: guerrilla tactics.

   guerrilla strongholds;

   guerrilla tactics.

2. of or relating to an unauthorized, edgy, or disruptive version of an activity: guerilla gardening to beautify an abandoned lot.

   guerrilla filmmaking on a busy sidewalk;

   guerilla gardening to beautify an abandoned lot.

guerrilla British  

/ ɡəˈrɪlə /

noun

1. 1. a member of an irregular usually politically motivated armed force that combats stronger regular forces, such as the army or police

   2. ( as modifier )

      guerrilla warfare

2. a form of vegetative spread in which the advance is from several individual rhizomes or stolons growing rapidly away from the centre, as in some clovers Compare phalanx

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Other Word Forms

• antiguerrilla
  noun
• counterguerrilla
  adjective
• guerrillaism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of guerrilla

First recorded in 1800–10; from Spanish, diminutive of guerra “war” (of Germanic origin) + -illa diminutive suffix; originally in reference to the Spanish resistance against Napoleon; the name for the struggle erroneously taken as a personal noun; cf. war ¹, -elle

Explanation

If your brother says he’s going to become a guerrilla, he's not planning to become a hairy animal. Guerrilla fighters band together in a small underground army, usually trying to overcome a larger and more organized force. Guerrilla and gorilla are pronounced the same — which makes it easy to remember how to say guerrilla — but they have different meanings. In Spanish, guerra means "war" and guerrilla means “little army.” Guerrilla fighters tend to work in small groups and use ambush and sabotage to surprise stronger, more traditional forces. You might have heard of Che Guevara, a famous guerrilla fighter who was involved in the Cuban Revolution.

Example Sentences

Guerrilla Arakan Army fighters -- one of the many factions challenging the junta's rule -- control swathes of jungle across the border with Myanmar.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

"We all know someone who has died," said pharmacist Miguel Guerrilla, standing outside his chemist shop which has been covered in thick mud.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2024

“Square footage has nothing to do with the size of the business,” said Brittney Valles, who sits on the board of the Independent Hospitality Coalition and owns Guerrilla Tacos in downtown Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2023

Named a StarChefs Rising Star Chef in 2015, Hanin had left traditional kitchens behind in 2019 to start a pop-up: Guerrilla Pizza Kitchen.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2023

Steadily, Log-a-Log gave orders to the Guerrilla shrews to retire back across the field where they could rest up and eat a much-needed meal.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• commando
• mercenary
• terrorist