as in law
control of an area by military forces rather than by the police
The government has declared martial law throughout the city to stop the riots. an area placed under martial law
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Recent Examples of martial law
Han replaced President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached this month for declaring martial law.
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Kelly Kasulis Cho, arkansasonline.com, 30 Dec. 2024
South Korean investigators sought a warrant on Monday to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol after the impeached leader repeatedly defied summons to appear for questioning over his martial law declaration.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 30 Dec. 2024
Yoon has vowed to keep defending himself, signaling his intent to fight in court to stay in office and insisting that his martial law decree was within his constitutional powers.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 30 Dec. 2024
The incident came as South Korea is embroiled in a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for martial law 
Kelly Kasulis Cho, arkansasonline.com, 30 Dec. 2024
South Korean investigators sought a warrant on Monday to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol after the impeached leader repeatedly defied summons to appear for questioning over his martial law declaration.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 30 Dec. 2024
Yoon has vowed to keep defending himself, signaling his intent to fight in court to stay in office and insisting that his martial law decree was within his constitutional powers.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 30 Dec. 2024
The incident came as South Korea is embroiled in a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, New York Daily News, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for martial law
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial law
Noun
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TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law.David Chiu, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
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The ban stems from a 2024 law that requires app stores and cloud computing providers to stop distributing or hosting TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.David McCabe, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Birthright citizenship’s legal underpinnings The notion of birthright citizenship can be traced to 1608 with Calvin’s Case, a British decision that became part of the common law adopted in the U.S. legal system’s early days.Louis Jacobson, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Dec. 2024
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Civil rights attorneys say the fallback to common law is designed to keep law enforcement officers immune from civil claims despite the 2020 reforms.Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Lawmakers who oppose the city ordinance have already laid the groundwork to fight it.Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 14 Jan. 2025
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Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirmed Chicago’s existing welcoming-city ordinance in a Jan. 10 press release.The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In May 2024, TikTok and ByteDance sued the U.S. government over the divest-or-ban law, arguing the legislation violates the First Amendment rights of its U.S. users.Todd Spangler, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025
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The legislation, Senate Bill 4, is a statement of purpose, the legislative equivalent of an IOU.Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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As the conversation of national identity burgeons, Canadians have the opportunity to choose how their country will function in the future and how the Canadian constitution is best structured to meet modern democratic expectations of the people.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
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Greenland became self-governed in 2009, and a change to its ownership or legal status would require an amendment to the Danish constitution, according to Reuters.Sara Dorn, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Martial law.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial%20law. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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