warlord

[wawr-lawrd]

noun

1. a military leader, especially of a warlike nation.

2. a military commander who has seized power, especially in one section of a country.

3. tuchun.

warlord

/ ˈwɔːˌlɔːd /

noun

1. a military leader of a nation or part of a nation, esp one who is accountable to nobody when the central government is weak

   the Chinese warlords

Other Word Forms

• warlordism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of warlord¹

First recorded in 1855–60; war ¹ + lord

Example Sentences

In this particular dystopia, civilization has crumbled into a desertscape ruled by petty warlords and scavenger gangs.

From Salon

As John Blackthorne, a shipwrecked English navigator who is taken prisoner, he becomes involved in a battle among warlords seeking to become Japan’s supreme military ruler and falls in love with his married interpreter.

From Los Angeles Times

Around them, the Myanmar military and a hotch-potch of rebel armies and warlords are fighting for control of Karen State.

From BBC

"The war will stop when these warlords feel they have more to lose by continuing fighting, than by doing the sensible thing" Egeland said.

From BBC

Transactional politics imply cutting deals with coup leaders and warlords whose crimes are their credentials.

From BBC

Related Words

• assailant 
• boxer 
• champion 
• combatant 
• mercenary 
• militant 
• opponent 
• soldier 
• tanker 
• warrior