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 paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh force said it had deployed forces in Gazipur and Narayanganj, key industrial suburbs around Dhaka, and were using drones to monitor the unrest.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

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

The road that the CJP had occupied for weeks earlier this summer seeking education reforms remained barricaded at both ends, guarded by thousands of police and paramilitary personnel.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

In all, 75 troops from the army and some 18 paramilitary personnel were involved in the rescue, army spokesman Brig.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

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

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

Numerous foreign paramilitaries have been seen in the vast, unstable central African country, where locals say they are backing the ill-armed government forces against the M23.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

It also had “what was in effect a formidable army of 40,000 paramilitaries, and it had a foreign policy. It was independent enough to launch a war.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Sudan remains locked in a three‑year power struggle between the regular army and the RSF paramilitaries.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

On Thursday, a senior police officer said there was no evidence loyalist paramilitaries were co-ordinating the unrest.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 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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