insurgent

American  

[in-sur-juhnt] / ɪnˈsɜr dʒənt /

noun

• insurgents
  plural

1. a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.

2. a member of a section of a political party that revolts against the methods or policies of the party.

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adjective

1. of or characteristic of an insurgent or insurgents.

   Synonyms:

   mutinous, revolutionary, rebellious

2. surging or rushing in.

   The insurgent waves battered the shore.

insurgent British  

/ ɪnˈsɜːdʒənt /

adjective

1. rebellious or in revolt, as against a government in power or the civil authorities

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noun

1. a person who takes part in an uprising or rebellion; insurrectionist

2. international law a person or group that rises in revolt against an established government or authority but whose conduct does not amount to belligerency

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• insurgency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• insurgents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of insurgent

1755–65; < Latin insurgent- (stem of insurgēns ) present participle of insurgere to get up, ascend, rebel. See in- ², surge, -ent

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Explanation

An insurgent is a rebel or a revolutionary, someone who takes up arms against the authorities. Insurgent is from the Latin word “insurgentem,” literally meaning “to rise against,” so think of an insurgent as a fighter who rises against the people in power. Often insurgents are considered terrorists because they use violence to intimidate people.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insurgent insurgents

He backed a bevy of insurgent primary bids by DSA-aligned candidates like New York’s Darializa Avila Chevalier and Colorado’s Melat Kiros—both of whom would go on to win.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Although he never became president despite three attempts, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas sparked an insurgent democratic movement that ultimately led to the opening of Mexico’s authoritarian regime to political competition and free elections in the late 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Most lie in areas contested by ethnic insurgent armies.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

With much of the country also under the control of Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabaab, little progress has been made on organising elections beyond a few localised pockets.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Sadly, the bridge is already under insurgent control due to questionable strategizing by my bereft cohort.”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Myanmar has always denied carrying out a genocide against the Rohingya, arguing its actions targeted a military uprising from insurgents after a series of attacks left a dozen security personnel dead.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Executives say operations in Mali’s gold-rich southwest largely sidestep disruptions related to insurgents, because supply chains for the mines come through Senegal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Executives admit they have struggled to match the low production costs and development speed of the Chinese insurgents.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Only the federal army has military drones in the country of 130 million people, and they have been deployed repeatedly against insurgents operating in several regions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Because really, Werner thinks, they are all insurgents, all partisans, every single person they see.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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Related Words

• demonstrator
• mutineer
• radical
• revolutionary
• rioter

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