Khmer Rouge

American  

[kmair roozh, kuh-mair] / ˈkmɛər ˈruʒ, kəˈmɛər /

noun

plural

Khmers Rouges

1. a Cambodian guerrilla and rebel force and political opposition movement, originally Communist and Communist-backed.

2. a member or supporter of this force.

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Khmer Rouge British  

/ ruːʒ /

noun

1. the Kampuchean communist party, which seized power (1975) in a civil war: in exile since 1979, dispersed in 1999

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Khmer Rouge Cultural  

1. The communist movement in Kampuchea (Cambodia) in Southeast Asia. It came to power in 1975.

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Led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, after it came to power, instituted one of the worst examples of genocide in world history. Estimates of the number of people killed under this regime vary from two million to four million.

Etymology

Origin of Khmer Rouge

< French Khmer (or Khmère ) rouge literally, red Khmer

Example Sentences

Thailand welcomed Cambodian war refugees to the border area after the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime fell in 1979.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

During a sabbatical, she covered the Khmer Rouge trials from Cambodia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

Tep Vong was key to the rejuvenation of Buddhism in Cambodia after the communist Khmer Rouge during their 1975-79 rule tried to eradicate all organized religion.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024

After the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979, the couple made their way to refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2023

In the midst of the crowd, our wagon passes the Khmer Rouge village without stopping.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung