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

Since last year, when the RSF overran parts of Darfur and Kordofan, the militia has commandeered the gum trade, integrating it into its smuggling empire and further starving government coffers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

Israeli media cited unnamed sources as saying the target of the strike had been the head of an Iranian militia.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

Federal authorities have said for years that neo-Nazi and anti-government militia groups pose the most active and lethal domestic threats, though recently authorities have noted increases in leftist and mixed-motive attacks.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

A 2025 report by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy described him as “one of the most commercially active and wealthy” militia leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

The outcome was that Parliament established a militia to be under the control of lords lieutenant appointed by Parliament, not by the King.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin