guerrilla warfare

noun

1. the use of hit-and-run tactics by small, mobile groups of irregular forces operating in territory controlled by a hostile, regular force.

guerrilla warfare

1. Wars fought with hit-and-run tactics by small groups against an invader or against an established government. (See counterinsurgency.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of guerrilla warfare¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Beijing trained the rebels in guerrilla warfare, Marxist-Leninist theory and "people's war".

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Hamas, he suggests, is looking to rebrand itself in order to continue to play a political role in the future, a process he likens to the ANC's transition from guerrilla warfare to political rule in post-apartheid South Africa.

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"The marine firefighter battalion is waging guerrilla warfare, hoses in hand," said the city's Mayor Benoît Payan, referring to Marseille's fire and rescue service.

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Last September, Israel's then-defence minister declared that "Hamas as a military formation no longer exists" and that it was engaged in guerrilla warfare.

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Another farmer, David Lemon, said hare coursing has become like "guerrilla warfare" in his area on the Wiltshire-Hampshire border.

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