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

plural

paramilitaries

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

Etymology

Origin of paramilitary

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

Example Sentences

Soleimani headed the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group that is a branch of the Revolutionary Guards and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests.

From Barron's

He later became a paramilitary officer at the CIA, before leaving government service after his wife's death.

From BBC

After leaving the US Army, Kent served as a paramilitary officer in the Central Intelligence Agency.

From Barron's

Israeli authorities said a joint operation by the army and Israel's paramilitary border police was taking place in the town at time.

From BBC

Residents said members of the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and of the Basij, their plainclothes enforcers, are visible on the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities.

From The Wall Street Journal