counterinsurgency

noun

coun·​ter·​in·​sur·​gen·​cy ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce counterinsurgency (audio)
Synonyms of counterinsurgencynext
: organized military activity designed to combat insurgency
counterinsurgent
ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈsər-jənt How to pronounce counterinsurgency (audio)
noun

Examples of counterinsurgency in a Sentence

The military has launched a counterinsurgency.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The government’s counterinsurgency spiraled into widespread violence in which hundreds of civilians — most of them Alawites — were killed. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 In the defining counterinsurgency conflicts of the twenty-first century, there is little evidence to suggest that air superiority proved any more effective. — Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026 Its post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan involved brief invasions followed by years of relatively low-intensity counterinsurgency warfare that, whatever its difficulties, did not require mass stockpiles of munitions. — Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026 The Peruvian counterinsurgency succeeded due to a strategy that deliberately cut ties between the guerrillas and the drug traffickers. — Michelle D. Paranzino, The Conversation, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for counterinsurgency

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterinsurgency was in 1962

Rhymes for counterinsurgency

See All Rhymes for counterinsurgency

Browse Nearby Words

counterinstitution
counterinsurgency
counterintelligence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counterinsurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterinsurgency. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on counterinsurgency

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for counterinsurgency

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All