counterinsurgency

noun

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

Examples of counterinsurgency in a Sentence

The military has launched a counterinsurgency.
Recent Examples on the Web The Pentagon bought 6,000 of them in the following decade, but officials didn’t buy AeroVironment’s pitch that the weapon could be useful beyond counterinsurgency operations. Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 The same thing can be said about the peshmerga, which according to the Defense Department’s Inspector General for the counter-IS mission, has improved mission planning and counterinsurgency operations in their area of responsibility. Daniel Depetris, TIME, 28 Sep. 2024 The current geopolitical situation and conflicts in several parts of the globe have shown that the decades of counterinsurgency warfare after the Cold War is giving way to a return to the threat of massed armed forces facing off against one another. David Szondy, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2024 In the decade following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the Department of Defense provided $1.7 billion in materiel and counterinsurgency support to sympathetic Latin American armies in an effort to prop up pro-Washington administrations and win local hearts and minds. Paul J. Angelo, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for counterinsurgency 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterinsurgency was in 1962

Dictionary Entries Near counterinsurgency

Cite this Entry

“Counterinsurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterinsurgency. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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