military-industrial complex
Americannoun
noun
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In his farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned that the growth of this relationship would increase the militarization of American society and endanger the principles of democracy.
Etymology
Origin of military-industrial complex
First recorded in 1960–65
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 its review the New Yorker wrote the book's central claim was that "the survival of the American experiment depends on the technological revitalization of the military-industrial complex".
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
"We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran's military-industrial complex access to the US financial system," he added in a statement.
From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025
Land: We looked at Axel Cole as emblematic of the excess driving contemporary tech, which is the modern-day version of the military-industrial complex.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025
Questions and criticism about the potential transformation of America’s military-industrial complex have flooded Capitol Hill in recent months.
From Washington Times • Dec. 18, 2023
President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell speech in January 1961, railed against the United States’ growing military-industrial complex.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.