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

Example Sentences

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

In a 1991 interview, retired Chief Justice Warren Burger scorned the view that the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms belongs to individuals rather than a collective militia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

That same night, Israel got a tip from ordinary Iranians that the leader of the feared Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, was holing up with his deputies in a tent in a wooded area in Tehran.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

On Tuesday, Iran officials also acknowledged the deaths of security chief Ali Larijani and Basij militia head Gholamreza Soleimani.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

“Is the militia going to try to stop them?”

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier