insurgency

[ in-sur-juhn-see ]

noun

plural insurgencies

1. the state or condition of being insurgent.
2. insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.
3. rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.
4. insurgence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurgency¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; insurg(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

Starlink is now operating in more than 20 African countries, with Somalia, hit by an Islamist insurgency, giving it a 10-year licence on 13 April, two days before Lesotho's decision to do so.

From BBC

What initially began as a civil disobedience campaign soon evolved into a widespread insurgency involving pro-democracy and ethnic rebel groups - which eventually sparked an all-out civil war.

From BBC

Exhausted, broke and heavily in debt to the United States, Britain told the US that it could no longer continue its support for the Greek government forces that were fighting an armed Communist insurgency.

From BBC

The group has waged a brutal insurgency against Somalia's government for nearly 20 years.

From BBC

The disappearances in the province are widely believed to be part of Islamabad's strategy to crush the insurgency - but also to suppress dissent, weaken nationalist sentiment and support for an independent Balochistan.

From BBC

Related Words

• dissent
• insurrection
• mutiny
• revolt
• revolution
• uprising