as in rebels
a person who rises up against authority
the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable
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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
-
The Halliwells position themselves as rebels disrupting the beauty industry with innovative, microbiome-friendly products, catering to a growing consumer demand for natural and effective solutions.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
-
Cases have also been reported in two other eastern provinces, North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebels are in control, and also in the neighboring country of Uganda.—
Gerald Imray,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Perpetual identification with revolutionaries isn't great for the nation's political health.—
Evan Gottesman,
Washington Post,
25 May 2026
-
But the revolutionaries lacked know-how, and soon, the operations were struggling.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insurgents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurgents. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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