paramilitary

American  

[par-uh-mil-i-ter-ee] / ˌpær əˈmɪl ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to an organization operating as, in place of, or as a supplement to a regular military force.

   a paramilitary police unit.

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noun

• paramilitaries
  plural

1. Also paramilitarist a person employed in such a force.

paramilitary British  

/ ˌpærəˈmɪlɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to a group of personnel with military structure functioning either as a civil force or in support of military forces

2. denoting or relating to a force with military structure conducting armed operations against a ruling or occupying power

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noun

1. 1. a paramilitary force

   2. a member of such a force

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• paramilitaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of paramilitary

First recorded in 1930–35; para- ¹ + military

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Explanation

A group that's described as being paramilitary resembles an organized army. During the American Revolutionary War, the minutemen were a paramilitary group that fought in the earliest battles. When civilians organize themselves (or are organized) into a group that appears to be military, or that assists actual military troops, that's a paramilitary organization. You can also call it, simply, a paramilitary. The early twentieth century word combines the prefix para-, "near" or "resembling," and military, from its Latin root militaris, "of soldiers or war."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paramilitary paramilitaries

The Saudis countered with an air campaign and ground force composed of Yemeni pro-government paramilitary factions, Saudi and Emirati troops and mercenaries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Like its paramilitary predecessor, the Wagner group, the Africa Corps is officially in the Sahel region to help tackle that violence.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

According to local media reports officials argue that this unfairly equates the recognised national military with a paramilitary force and restricts its ability to defend citizens against an insurgency.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Euphemistically known as “mobile lounges,” these hulking, 40-ton machines from the 1960s and ’70s look and feel like paramilitary vehicles trundling through a desert dystopia.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

They looked more like an army of Robocops—black paramilitary outfits, helmets, automatic rifles.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

After the anti-government M23 group took the key eastern regional capital Goma in January 2025, its forces were filmed escorting hundreds of Romanian paramilitaries out of the country via Rwanda.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The New York Times reported on two paramilitaries working for the millionaire, a New Zealander and a former member of the US special forces.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

As a reporter for the Sunday World newspaper, he had built a reputation for stories which exposed paramilitaries and drug dealers operating in Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

The inquest also heard no evidence of third-party involvement or any link to loyalist paramilitaries, at odds with years of endless social media speculation that sometimes leaned into conspiracies.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Her husband was an Arab, and there were Israeli paramilitaries on the ground in the city.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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