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to militarize

to militarize

11 7.3
To put soldiers and weapons into a country or group to make it act like an army
  • verb
  • /ˈmɪlɪtəˌraɪz/
translation icon : militarizar
  • In response to increasing tensions, many nations began to militarize their defenses.
  • highly militarized
  • militarized regime
  • militarized border

What's come up recently is the question, are we now militarizing space?

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Examples

  • I'm recommending to the President we militarize this project.

  • Securing energy resources often leads countries to militarize and enter into strategic alliances, sometimes sidetracking the pursuit of democracy.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Ms. President, in the interest of national security, I strongly recommend we militarize this project immediately.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • This is nothing more than you militarizing space.

  • The Soviet Union militarized East Central Europe for two additional reasons.

    Academic text (2018)
  • What's come up recently is the question, are we now militarizing space?

  • You know, if we if we keep trying to militarize the South China Sea, they're going to respond by militarizing it themselves.

  • The authoritarian regime had a clear interest in militarizing the laws of the country.

    Academic text (1999)
  • A geopolitical environment no longer structured by a highly militarized confrontation with a fixed opponent raised new challenges.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Bernstein and Munro, journalists formerly stationed in Beijing, argued that China is militarizing with expansionist aims.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

to fortify
vsto militarize
39 6.2

Make a place or group stronger by building defenses

is about broad conversion to military use rather than just adding defenses
to mobilize
vsto militarize
34 6.1

To prepare and organize troops and equipment for war

is about changing a country or group to have a military character
to build up
vsto militarize
  • Specialized
23 5.7

Make soldiers and weapons stronger before a fight

is about adapting an area or organization to serve military purposes long term

Antonyms

4 7.3

Remove soldiers and weapons from an area so it has no armed forces

How Militarized

to militarize
11 7.3
to rearm
7 6.8
to arm
119 3.7
to demilitarize
  • Formal
4 7.3
to civilianize
  • Specialized
7.3

Surface Forms

militarize infinitive
militarized past participle
militarizing present participle
militarizes third person singular

Morphology

militarize = military (transparent) = militar + ize

Formed by the adjective 'military' plus the productive verb-forming suffix '-ize', meaning 'to give a military character' which is directly derivable.

Etymology

The word militarize comes from military, which relates to 'soldiers' or the army, and the ending -ize, which means 'to make'. So to militarize a place or group is to make it like the army, equipping and preparing it for military use.