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.

In the 1968 Tet Offensive, U.S. forces crushed the Viet Cong, dealing a near-fatal blow to the communist insurgency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

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

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

But the trickle of migration became a torrent during the 10 years of the Maoist insurgency that ended in 2006.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Nigeria faces multiple, overlapping security challenges beyond kidnappings, including an Islamist insurgency in the north-east, separatist violence in the south-east, and frequent clashes between herders and farmers in central regions over land and water.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 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