MILITIA

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does militia mean? 

• MILITIA (noun)
  The noun MILITIA has 2 senses:

1. civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

2. the entire body of physically fit civilians eligible by law for military service

  Familiarity information: MILITIA used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MILITIA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

militia; reserves

Hypernyms ("militia" is a kind of...):

force; military force; military group; military unit (a unit that is part of some military service)

Meronyms (parts of "militia"):

territorial; territorial reserve (a territorial military unit)

Meronyms (members of "militia"):

militiaman (a member of the militia; serves only during emergencies)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "militia"):

SA; Storm Troops; Sturmabteilung (Nazi militia created by Hitler in 1921 that helped him to power but was eclipsed by the SS after 1943)

trainband (a company of militia in England or America from the 16th century to the 18th century)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The entire body of physically fit civilians eligible by law for military service

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

Congress shall have power to provide for calling forth the militia

Hypernyms ("militia" is a kind of...):

body (a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

 Context examples 

I ought to have made it, perhaps, but I couldn't azackly—that was always the substitute for exactly, in Peggotty's militia of words—bring my mind to it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He quitted the militia and engaged in trade, having brothers already established in a good way in London, which afforded him a favourable opening.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

The principal purport of his letter was to inform them that Mr. Wickham had resolved on quitting the militia.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

I have often seen the militia of Lorbrulgrud drawn out to exercise, in a great field near the city of twenty miles square.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Good Heaven! Brighton, and a whole campful of soldiers, to us, who have been overset already by one poor regiment of militia, and the monthly balls of Meryton!

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

All which, however happily tempered by the laws of that kingdom, have been sometimes violated by each of the three parties, and have more than once occasioned civil wars; the last whereof was happily put an end to by this prince’s grand-father, in a general composition; and the militia, then settled with common consent, has been ever since kept in the strictest duty.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

He had received a good education, but, on succeeding early in life to a small independence, had become indisposed for any of the more homely pursuits in which his brothers were engaged, and had satisfied an active, cheerful mind and social temper by entering into the militia of his county, then embodied.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

His former acquaintances had been numerous; but since he had been in the militia, it did not appear that he was on terms of particular friendship with any of them.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

At present, indeed, they were well supplied both with news and happiness by the recent arrival of a militia regiment in the neighbourhood; it was to remain the whole winter, and Meryton was the headquarters.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)