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
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
The American Civil War
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Liberty, Equality, Vocabulary: The French Revolution
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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.
Sweden reinstated conscription in 2018 and will call up 9,000 recruits this year, compared with 3,500 in 2018.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Denmark has made women eligible for conscription and extended conscripts’ service to 11 months from four.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Finland has universal male conscription, and some women also volunteer to serve.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
There was an official from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, and several young men avoiding forced conscription into the army.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
I think he was well inclined toward stubbornness, and contemptuous of failure, long before his conscription into the war and the strange circumstances that discharged him from it.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
