military

1 of 2

adjective

mil·​i·​tary ˈmi-lə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce military (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to soldiers, arms, or war
military discipline
the country's military needs
b
: of or relating to armed forces
especially : of or relating to ground or sometimes ground and air forces as opposed to naval forces
military and naval affairs
2
a
: performed or made by armed forces
military operations
b
: supported by armed force
a military government
3
: of or relating to the army
the military academy at West Point

military

2 of 2

noun

plural military also militaries
1
: military persons
especially : army officers
2

Examples of military in a Sentence

Adjective He is being tried in a military court rather than in a civilian court. He has had a long military career. Noun There were many military present but only a few civilians. some would insist that the military's budget is still inadequate
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In February, a draft proposal rejected by Israel included a 40-day pause in all military operations and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 250 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza. Liz Goodwin, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Thousands of Ukrainian children remain in Russia and, according to Save Ukraine, some of them have been enrolled in military and naval academies across the country. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, people living near military bases — and members of the military — have been getting sick. Zoya Teirstein / Grist, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Such a plan closely parallels what Mr. Orban has been advocating for the European Union — a suspension of all financial and military support for Ukraine, and a policy of pushing the government in Kyiv into immediate peace negotiations with Moscow. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Over the weekend, Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed to resign after heavily armed gangs made brazen attacks on police and military installations in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and the U.S. military airlifted non-essential personnel from the American embassy. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Typically, flares used in military training exercises are visible for a few minutes to around 10 minutes. The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 Here, young men wearing yarmulkes spend their days studying both the Torah and military strategy. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Then, Russia in some cases even claimed to annex territory in the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that its military had not yet occupied. Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 And among male service members who received TRT in 2017, fewer than half met the clinical practice guidelines, according to a report by the U.S. military. Michael Scaturro, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2024 Bloodshed surrounding an aid convoy on Feb. 29 killed 118 Palestinians in northern Gaza, when the Israeli military said its forces fired at people in the crowd who were advancing toward them and that tanks fired warning shots to disperse them. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 The Israeli military has said that most of the people died in a stampede and that some were run over by the trucks. Anushka Patil, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 This week, unverified reports emerged that Hamas executed a mukhtar, or local community leader, in northern Gaza, allegedly for coordinating with the Israeli military for a separate initiative to facilitate aid. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 The only solution, Brewer said, is for the U.S. military to intervene, arguing the U.S. could easily defeat the gangs and create a new level of stability in the country. Michael Lee, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2024 From cross-border drone strikes to the former Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s march on Moscow and the sheer human cost of sustaining its military, the Kremlin has not been able to isolate its population from the effects of the conflict. Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Festival is $10 for adults over 21, free for ages under 21 and military. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'military.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Latin militaris, from milit-, miles soldier

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of military was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near military

Cite this Entry

“Military.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/military. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

military

1 of 2 adjective
mil·​i·​tary ˈmil-ə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce military (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of soldiers, arms, or war
military discipline
2
: carried on or supported by armed force
a military government
3
: of or relating to the army
military and naval affairs

military

2 of 2 noun
plural military
1
2
: military persons
especially : army officers

More from Merriam-Webster on military

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