militia

American  

[mi-lish-uh] / mɪˈlɪʃ ə /

noun

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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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

The government has appealed to parents to allow their children join the Basij volunteer militia – a key arm of state enforcement – to help guard checkpoints.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Iran, he reminded me, has around 90 million people and an estimated 200,000 in the armed militia and paramilitary forces.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

The Basij is a volunteer militia controlled by the IRGC, with an estimated one million members.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s primary fighting force, has lost much of its infrastructure, and some members of the basij militia reportedly are refusing to show up for work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

He was too old to go fight in the War of the Sixties, but they made him a general in the local militia.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns