demilitarize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to deprive of military character; free from militarism.
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to place under civil instead of military control.
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to forbid military use of (a border zone).
verb
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to remove any military presence or function in (an area)
demilitarized zone
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to free of military character, purpose, etc
11 regiments were demilitarized
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demilitarizesimple
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demilitarizessimple
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have demilitarizedperfect
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has demilitarizedperfect
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am demilitarizingprogressive
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are demilitarizingprogressive
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is demilitarizingprogressive
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have been demilitarizingperfect progressive
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has been demilitarizingperfect progressive
Past
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demilitarizedsimple
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had demilitarizedperfect
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was demilitarizingprogressive
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were demilitarizingprogressive
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had been demilitarizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demilitarize
First recorded in 1880–85; de- + militarize
Explanation
To demilitarize is to remove all armed forces from an area. When a country brings its troops home at the end of a war, they demilitarize the region. When a government removes its military forces, it demilitarizes the area those troops once occupied. This can happen because a conflict has ended, or for political or financial reasons. Removing military-grade weapons is also known as demilitarizing. If you retrofitted an old Army tank to be a food truck, you'd need to demilitarize it first. Demilitarize is made up of the prefix de-, or "not," and militarize, from the Latin militaris, "warlike."
Vocabulary lists containing demilitarize
Fighting Words: Belli and Milit
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bel and milit
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Fallen Angels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Morgenthau’s plan to demilitarize and deindustrialize Germany was seized upon by the failing Nazi regime as a propaganda tool, and the Truman administration ultimately rejected it.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026
Lebanese officials say they are on pace to demilitarize southern Lebanon as part of the agreement that halted hostility between Israel and Hezbollah in late 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
The move shows a change in tact by Casto, who has previously criticized the role of the military in previous administrations and pledged to "demilitarize citizen security" during her presidential campaign.
From Reuters ● Apr. 3, 2023
The question is, how can antagonistic nations demilitarize safely, without raising the risk of preemptive attacks?
From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2022
Kyiv is seeking international assistance to try and demilitarize the area.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2022
Why did you set the story in the demilitarized zone?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
That region would reportedly become a demilitarized zone under the plan.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
At the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea he was asked by his North Korean escort if he wanted to shout “Yankee go home!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Now, they see Israeli forces routinely moving around their own village, parts of which jut into the demilitarized zone.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2024
It moved to the very edge of the Permian side, as if it was a demilitarized zone, and then stopped and came back the other way.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
He said they should always be "persevering in good even when evil is done to us, breaking the spiral of vengeance, disarming violence, demilitarizing the heart".
From Reuters ● Nov. 5, 2022
Mr. Grossi said he planned to contact both sides soon to propose concrete steps to begin demilitarizing the area.
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2022
With Russia giving up its territorial claims in exchange for assurances about demilitarizing the long border between the two countries, their leaders signed a Treaty of Friendship and Alliance in February 1950.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2022
Touting various endorsements, it says González, who was raised by migrant farmworkers in Central Washington, will push for affordable housing, mental health and addiction services, worker protections and demilitarizing the police.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021
About demilitarizing the police as an “occupying force” in the community; reimagining police as “guardians,” not “warriors”; expunging “anti-Blackness” out of police practices; and changing interactions between Black youth and the police.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
