insurgency

American

[in-sur-juhn-see] / ɪnˈsɜr dʒən si /

noun

plural

insurgencies

the state or condition of being insurgent.
insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.
rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.
insurgence.

Etymology

Origin of insurgency

First recorded in 1795–1805; insurg(ent) + -ency

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.

India on Monday declared the country free of the Maoist insurgency, fulfilling a long-standing deadline to defeat the decades-long rebellion.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the rumors of a Kurdish insurgency “completely false.”

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

"People are praying vehemently that the insurgency comes to an end."

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Military juntas seized power in all three countries, promising to curb the insurgency.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Typically the subject was a well-to-do immigrant supporting some potential insurgency in his old land, or else funding a fledgling trade union or radical student organization.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023