as in rebels
a person who rises up against authority
the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 insurgents
According to the military, security forces launched an operation in the province’s district of Barkhan to rout out insurgents that Islamabad claims are backed by India.
—
ABC News, 13 May 2026
The insurgents’ goals vary, from greater autonomy and control over the province’s natural resources to full independence.
—Amira Jadoon, The Conversation, 13 May 2026
Many advanced states understand the need for some kind of violent reaction to terrorists or insurgents, usually as a task for special-operations forces.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
Both political insurgents were elected under extraordinary circumstances.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
The misery wrought by insurgents in largely ungoverned spaces will push people to flee.
—Ulf Laessing, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Tribune correspondents Ronald Yates — who was one of the last American journalists to leave Phnom Penh when the Cambodian capital fell to insurgents just weeks earlier — and Philip Caputo lost contact with the newspaper in South Vietnam just before Saigon was overtaken by communist North Vietnam.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
That song’s twangful snarl — wonderfully sung by Clark, a star recording artist in her own right — is a reminder that these insurgents are also preservationists, capable of delivering old-fashioned pleasures to please the purists.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
While serving a tour of duty outside the province of Kandahar in Afghanistan in August of 2011, he was ambushed by Taliban insurgents disguised in Afghan National Army uniforms.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 13 May 2026
The insurgents’ goals vary, from greater autonomy and control over the province’s natural resources to full independence.
—Amira Jadoon, The Conversation, 13 May 2026
Many advanced states understand the need for some kind of violent reaction to terrorists or insurgents, usually as a task for special-operations forces.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
Both political insurgents were elected under extraordinary circumstances.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
The misery wrought by insurgents in largely ungoverned spaces will push people to flee.
—Ulf Laessing, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Tribune correspondents Ronald Yates — who was one of the last American journalists to leave Phnom Penh when the Cambodian capital fell to insurgents just weeks earlier — and Philip Caputo lost contact with the newspaper in South Vietnam just before Saigon was overtaken by communist North Vietnam.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
That song’s twangful snarl — wonderfully sung by Clark, a star recording artist in her own right — is a reminder that these insurgents are also preservationists, capable of delivering old-fashioned pleasures to please the purists.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
While serving a tour of duty outside the province of Kandahar in Afghanistan in August of 2011, he was ambushed by Taliban insurgents disguised in Afghan National Army uniforms.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurgents
Noun
-
Puskin was sent into exile by Tsar Alexander I after his poem Ode to Liberty was found among the possessions of the rebels of the Decemberist uprising.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The rebels have imprisoned thousands of people including United Nations staffers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
In the second half of the 20th century, everyone who was anyone in American culture – from Hollywood icons to presidents and revolutionaries – had their portrait taken by Avedon.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
In a video message, Rubio discussed the faith of American revolutionaries and the role of Christian missionaries who aimed to spread the Gospel through the country's western expansion.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insurgents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurgents. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
