militia

American  

[mi-lish-uh] / mɪˈlɪʃ ə /

noun

• militias
  plural

1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.

2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.

3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.

4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.

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militia British  

/ mɪˈlɪʃə /

noun

1. a body of citizen (as opposed to professional) soldiers

2. an organization containing men enlisted for service in emergency only

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• militias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of militia

1580–90; < Latin mīlitia soldiery, equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) soldier + -ia -ia

Explanation

If you live in a remote place that's under attack by an upstart band of thieves, start a militia. A militia is a band of civilians trained to do army type business, without officially joining the army. Militia comes from mīlet-, Latin for "soldier," but the word now refers to a band of fighters who aren't officially soldiers. Sometimes militias add on to regular army forces, like the citizen's militias who fought alongside regular troops in the Revolutionary War. But you'll frequently hear militia if you're listening to news about dangerously violent parts of the world where, instead of voting for change, groups form militias and fight for political power. It's also a verb: to militia.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

militia militias

He denied allegations that high-grade military weapons were being stored at his home as well as the presence of any militia as the authorities had alleged.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The Houthis, a Yemeni militia, reportedly attacked Saudi ships in the Red Sea on Monday.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

So, two quite pointed conditions were crafted into this one-sentence amendment: Citizens may bear arms if we need a national militia and if the men who come to it are well trained.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

Shortly after the Declaration of Independence was publicly read in July, Paine enlisted in the Pennsylvania militia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

The militia would remain on guard until the following weekend.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Parliament member Ofer Cassif, of Hadash, an Arab-Jewish communist party, told AFP he was concerned opposition voters could face intimidation before and during the election -- not only from police but from "private, armed militias".

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

El-Fasher was the army's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur until it fell to the RSF and allied Arab militias after 18 months last October.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

According to a Politico profile of Lamb, he has also spoken in support of private militias.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

Numerous militias were put on the Iraqi government payroll, and some still have a formal role in Iraq’s security forces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Later, during their war for independence from Britain, the separatists relied on militias to fight the British and their Indigenous allies.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz