guerrilla

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or gue·ril·la (gə-rĭl'ə) pronunciation
n.
A member of an irregular, usually indigenous military or paramilitary unit operating in small bands in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy, as by surprise raids.

[Spanish, raiding party, guerrilla force, diminutive of guerra, war, of Germanic origin.]



is the recommended spelling in English for the word meaning 'a member of an independent fighting force', not the common variant guerilla. It is pronounced -ril, like gorilla (the animal).

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Member of an irregular military force fighting small-scale, fast-moving actions, usually in concert with an overall political-military strategy, against conventional military and police forces. Guerrilla tactics involve constantly shifting attacks, sabotage, and terrorism. The word (the diminutive of the Spanish guerra, war) was first used to describe Spanish-Portuguese irregulars who helped drive Napoleon's French army from the Iberian Peninsula in the early 19th century. The strategy of the guerrilla is to wear down the enemy until he can be defeated in conventional battle or to subject him to so much military and political pressure that he sues for peace. The Chinese general Sunzi (5th century ) was one of the first to write down the theories of guerrilla warfare.

For more information on guerrilla, visit Britannica.com.


[gǝܒrilǝ] also guerilla

gǝˈrilǝ also guerilla n. a member of a small independent group taking part in irregular fighting, typically against larger regular forces: this small town fell to the guerrillas | guerrilla warfare.

Etymology: early 19th cent. (introduced during the Peninsular War (1808-14): from Spanish, diminutive of guerra ‘war.’

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD) A combat participant in guerrilla warfare. See also unconventional warfare.

Word Tutor:

guerrilla

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A member of an irregular armed force that fights by sabotage and harassment.

pronunciation A guerrilla stealthily entered the village to gain access to the storage building.

Tutor's tip: A "guerrilla" (a person who engages in irregular warfare) fighter might be afraid of a "gorilla" (the most powerful of the apes).

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categories related to 'guerrilla'

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For a list of words related to guerrilla, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Gue.
Translations:

Guerrilla

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - guerilla, guerillakrig

Nederlands (Dutch)
guerrillastrijder, guerrillaoorlog

Français (French)
n. - guérillero

Deutsch (German)
n. - Guerillakämpfer, Guerillero

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αντάρτης, άτακτος πολεμιστής

Italiano (Italian)
guerriglia, guerrigliero

Português (Portuguese)
n. - guerrilha (f)

Русский (Russian)
партизан, партизанский, партизанская война

Español (Spanish)
n. - guerrillero, guerrilla

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gerillakrig, gerillasoldat

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
游击队

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 遊擊隊

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 유격병, 비정규병

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ゲリラ兵, 不正規兵

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) احد افراد حرب العصابات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לחימה באמצעים מיוחדים של כוחות קטנים מול צבא סדיר, לוחם גרילה‬


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