conscription
Americannoun
-
compulsory enrollment of persons for military or naval service; draft.
-
a compulsory contribution of money to a government during a time of war.
noun
Other Word Forms
- anticonscription noun
- conscriptional adjective
- nonconscription noun
- proconscription adjective
Etymology
Origin of conscription
First recorded in 1350–1400 for earlier sense “piece of writing”; 1795–1805 for current senses; Middle English conscripcioun, from Latin conscrīptiōn-, stem of conscrīptiō “composition, written record, levy of troops,” equivalent to conscript + -ion
Explanation
When a military needs people to fight in a war, but there aren’t enough volunteers, sometimes they'll begin conscription, which is a law that says if you are able to fight, you have to fight. Also called the draft, conscription legally requires people to join the army, with penalties if they don’t. During the Vietnam War, many U.S. citizens protested conscription by burning their draft documents or fleeing to Canada, and some faced prison time because of these actions. The Latin roots of conscription translate to “write down together,” which is a much nicer way of saying “Go to war or go to jail.”
Vocabulary lists containing conscription
Liberty, Equality, Vocabulary: The French Revolution
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The American Civil War
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World War I
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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.
Participants were included only if their weight had been measured at least three times, such as during early pregnancy, military conscription, or participation in research studies.
From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026
Eritrea is sometimes called Africa’s version of North Korea because of its mandatory conscription and lack of civil society.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
By the time the last BTS member ended his conscription last June, anticipation of the group’s return was running high.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Croatia plans to reintroduce conscription next year - it will become mandatory for men aged 19 to 29 to undergo two months of basic military training.
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025
My eighteenth birthday is coming, and with it, conscription.
From "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard
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.
