martial law
Americannoun
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the law temporarily imposed upon an area by state or national military forces when civil authority has broken down or during wartime military operations.
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the law imposed upon a defeated country or occupied territory by the military forces of the occupying power.
noun
Usage
What is martial law? Martial law is when a state is put under control of the military, usually temporarily and as a result of an emergency or crisis that has broken down the usual civil authority and order. How is martial law pronounced?[ mahr-shuhl law ]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of martial law
First recorded in 1525–35
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.
Once a close ally of Yoon, Han broke with the former president over martial law.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
They swept to victory last June, after the disgraced former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached for a bizarre six-hour attempt to declare martial law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
The appeals court also upheld his conviction for abuse of power for excluding cabinet members from a meeting to plan the imposition of martial law.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
On 4 December, 2024, Yoon announced to the nation that he was declaring martial law – plunging South Korea into chaos and setting in motion a series of events that would precipitate his downfall.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
The following day El Barrio resembled a country under martial law.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
Definitions 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.
