militarization

American  

[mil-i-tuh-rahyz-ay-shuhn, -ruhz-ay-shuhn] / ˌmɪl ɪ təˌraɪzˈeɪ ʃən, -rəzˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of equipping with military personnel, weapons, or resources.

2. the act or process of making something serve a military function or of imbuing it with militarism.

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Example Sentences

She said while isolated incidents involving armed individuals might not constitute militarization of a facility, it was the pattern of incidents that threatened the facility’s status.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

She took in the crowd and said it was uplifting to see such a huge and diverse throng of people stand up, in peaceful protest, against authoritarianism and the militarization of the country.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2025

More broadly, these historical linkages force us to rethink and seriously question the militarization of our public spaces and culture and the attempts to normalize and monetize them.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2025

And what we see now, and see the beginnings of in “Power,” is how that militarization has grown and evolved over the last 50 or 60 years.

From Salon • May 18, 2024

The defense minister, General Magnus Malan, backed by P. W. Botha, introduced a policy known as “total on-slaught,” which was a militarization of the country to combat the liberation struggle.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela