national guard

noun

Definition of national guardnext
as in standing army

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of national guard At least two military members also attend veteran funeral services, usually sent from either active duty, the national guard or the reserve, said Chadd Boland, a National Guard staff sergeant. — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026 The conflict escalated further, resulting in 25 national guard members being killed in separate attacks following the cartel leader’s killing. — Jordan Parker aviation, Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026 The next day, Colmenarez joined the protestors again in the streets around the government’s election office, but were pushed back by national guard officers firing tear gas canisters. — Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026 Our national guard members and permanent residents. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for national guard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for national guard
  1. standing army
  2. militia
  3. battalion
  4. army
Noun
  • The possibility of revising Article 9 of Japan’s constitution, which renounces war and prohibits a traditional standing army, is no longer taboo in Tokyo.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Many Americans feared and distrusted the idea of a standing army into the first half of the nineteenth century.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 25 May 2026
Definition of standing army
Noun
  • Advertisement In response to the Israel-Hamas war, the Yemeni militia launched several strikes on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade in late 2023 and the early months of 2024.
    — Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The outlook for that contest going ahead in Saudi Arabia has been thrown into doubt by the kingdom’s involvement in the war in Yemen against Houthi militias.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of militia
Noun
  • Neither Dan Heizman, president of Local 42, which represents those with the rank of captain and below, nor Clay Calvin, president of Local 3808, which represents division and battalion chiefs, responded to requests for comment.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The power Whitney expressed was more abstract than Beyoncé’s heavy-handed, and still astonishing, Super Bowl halftime performance in 2016, in which the artist stormed the field with a battalion of women dressed as Black Panthers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of battalion
Noun
  • In the post–Cold War era, the United States has perfected the art of airpower—winning control of the skies so that enemy armies, navies, and territory can be bombed at will—to a degree that no country or even alliance of countries has matched.
    — Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The almost 400 interceptors that remain are augmented by a Greek army contingent with a Patriot missile battery and roughly 100 soldiers.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of army

Browse Nearby Words

national
national guard
national guards
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“National guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/national%20guard. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

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

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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