martial law

American  

noun

martial laws plural

1. the law temporarily imposed upon an area by state or national military forces when civil authority has broken down or during wartime military operations.

2. the law imposed upon a defeated country or occupied territory by the military forces of the occupying power.

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martial law British  

noun

1. the rule of law established and maintained by the military in the absence of civil law

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Usage

What is martial law? Martial law is when a state is put under control of the military, usually temporarily and as a result of an emergency or crisis that has broken down the usual civil authority and order. How is martial law pronounced?[ mahr-shuhl law ]

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• martial laws
  plural

Etymology

Origin of martial law

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

martial law

The judges added that powers vested in the president, including supreme command of the armed forces and the authority to declare martial law, must be exercised to protect the nation's survival and security.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

They swept to victory last June, after the disgraced former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached for a bizarre six-hour attempt to declare martial law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

A week later, he declared martial law -- but failed, leading to his impeachment, removal from office and sentencing in February this year to life imprisonment for insurrection.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

In the immediate aftermath of Yoon's shock martial law declaration, emotional reactions among South Koreans were largely divided along generational lines.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

For a year, there was a looseness, a freedom from tension, a time when martial law was suspended.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy