insurgent

American  

[in-sur-juhnt] / ɪnˈsɜr dʒənt /

noun

• insurgents
  plural

1. a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.

2. a member of a section of a political party that revolts against the methods or policies of the party.

---

adjective

1. of or characteristic of an insurgent or insurgents.

   Synonyms:

   mutinous, revolutionary, rebellious

2. surging or rushing in.

   The insurgent waves battered the shore.

insurgent British  

/ ɪnˈsɜːdʒənt /

adjective

1. rebellious or in revolt, as against a government in power or the civil authorities

---

noun

1. a person who takes part in an uprising or rebellion; insurrectionist

2. international law a person or group that rises in revolt against an established government or authority but whose conduct does not amount to belligerency

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• insurgency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• insurgents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of insurgent

1755–65; < Latin insurgent- (stem of insurgēns ) present participle of insurgere to get up, ascend, rebel. See in- ², surge, -ent

Explanation

An insurgent is a rebel or a revolutionary, someone who takes up arms against the authorities. Insurgent is from the Latin word “insurgentem,” literally meaning “to rise against,” so think of an insurgent as a fighter who rises against the people in power. Often insurgents are considered terrorists because they use violence to intimidate people.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insurgent insurgents

South Cotswolds MP Roz Savage criticised Sir Ed's leadership ahead of conference, urging the party to rediscover its "insurgent spirit" rather than being the "polite custodians of a system that leaves people feeling powerless".

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Ethiopia has been manufacturing drones at two factories since last year and is now thought to have a fleet of thousands, analysts say, giving the government an edge against its multiple insurgent enemies.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

“It also claimed that Bass had won support from a vast majority of voters who supported insurgent Republican Spencer Pratt in the primary election.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

It seemed a sure thing a few weeks ago that Abdul El-Sayed, the insurgent progressive challenger in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, was leading the race going away.

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026

“Sadly, the bridge is already under insurgent control due to questionable strategizing by my bereft cohort.”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Executives admit they have struggled to match the low production costs and development speed of the Chinese insurgents.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Only the federal army has military drones in the country of 130 million people, and they have been deployed repeatedly against insurgents operating in several regions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Thanat, who is also National Intelligence Agency director, said insurgents were also testing the readiness of security forces.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

They were also motivated by the fear that their own survival might depend on getting on the right side of these insurgents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

A hands-off policy had backfired, the insurgents had gathered strength.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• demonstrator
• mutineer
• radical
• revolutionary
• rioter