ENGLISH
REFERENCE

militia

n.
US //məˈɫɪʃə// UK //məlˈɪʃɐ// mili·tia
  1. 1 civilian military force (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    a group of citizens who receive military training so they can defend their country or area in an emergency.

    a military force raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.

    Example

    The local militia was called to help the regular army defend the border.

    Example

    During the revolutionary period, the local militia provided a crucial defensive layer while the professional continental forces were reorganising.
    • regular army
    • professional soldiers
  2. 2 national police force (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    the name for the national police force in some countries, especially in Eastern Europe.

    the name of the national police force in certain countries, particularly former Soviet states.

    Example

    He worked for the national militia for twenty years before retiring.

    Example

    The transition from a Soviet-style militia to a modern police force required significant legislative reform and retraining of personnel.

    Usage

    Often used as a proper noun or in translation to refer to the 'Militsiya'.
Origin

From Latin mīlitia (“army, military force/service”), from mīles (“soldier”). Doublet of militsia. The use of "militia" rather than "police" to refer to the police force (of Belarus and some other countries) originated in the USSR.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026