insurgency
Americannoun
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insurgencies
plural
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the state or condition of being insurgent.
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insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.
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rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of insurgency
First recorded in 1795–1805; insurg(ent) + -ency
Explanation
An insurgency is a movement within a country dedicated to overthrowing the government. An insurgency is a rebellion. Insurgencies are movements to overthrow governments. The United States was founded by an insurgency, when the colonies fought England for independence. In the Star Wars movies, the rebel forces stage an insurgency. Around the world, many insurgencies exist, using violent and other means. Insurgency is also used for less serious situations: for example, a rebellious group within a company, political party, or school could be called an insurgency. All insurgencies are made up of rebels.
Vocabulary lists containing insurgency
The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle School
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The Middle East and Central Asia - High School
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"On the Vietnam War, 1967," Vocabulary from the speech
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A mission in southern Iraq had tamped down tribal warfare and insurgency without bloodshed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Since then, Iraqi forces have fought Islamic State remnants engaged in a low-level insurgency around the country’s remote areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
"I face no troubles here," said Mohammad Iqbal, a 53-year-old painter from Uttar Pradesh state who has worked in Kashmir since before the insurgency began and is now accompanied by his son.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Defending a capital or helping loyalist forces defeat a mutiny requires fewer resources than recapturing and securing vast areas affected by an insurgency.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The catalyst for the change was the Whiskey Rebellion, a popular insurgency in four counties of western Pennsylvania protesting an excise tax on whiskey.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
He warned of a "spillover" of fighting from separate insurgencies in the neighbouring Sahel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Our economy is in a shambles, society is deeply divided, we are facing two insurgencies," Farooq says.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Somalia faces dual insurgencies from groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
Not quite perfect, for continually there arise little insurgencies, inadequacies and frictions to which in time it will succumb.
From The Glands Regulating Personality by Louis Berman M.D.
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
