Skip to main content
territorial reserve

territorial reserve

8.0
A group of local people trained as soldiers who get called up in emergencies to defend the country
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : reserva territorial
  • The government called up the territorial reserve in response to the national emergency.

Examples

  • Many citizens volunteered for the territorial reserve during times of heightened security concerns.

  • Many countries rely on their territorial reserves for national security.

  • He served for several years in the territorial reserve before returning to civilian life.

  • The territorial reserve was called into action during the emergency.

  • During the crisis, the government relied heavily on the territorial reserve to assist with local defense efforts.

  • In times of conflict, the territorial reserve plays a crucial role in supporting the regular military forces.

  • Many veterans join the territorial reserve as a way to contribute to their communities and enhance their skills.

Synonyms

military reserve
vsterritorial reserve
1 4.0

A group of trained soldiers not on active duty who can be called in emergencies

is focused on local country-based forces for home defence rather than general callable personnel
Territorial Army
vsterritorial reserve
  • UK
5.4

A volunteer group of part-time soldiers in Britain who help the regular army

is the general country-organized unit for home defence and local support

How Professional

regular army
5 3.0
National Guard
  • Formal
152 3.7
territorial reserve
  • Specialized
8.0
reserves
4.6
home guard
  • UK
1 5.9
militia
553 5.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

territorial + reserves

The meaning is directly compositional: 'territorial' (pertaining to a territory or home area) combined with 'reserve' (military forces held for duty) yields the idea of reserve forces tied to a specific territory or used for home defense. This follows a standard adjective + noun pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Territorial reserve comes from the idea of local people kept ready to help in their own area: territorial means from a particular land or district, and reserve means held back until needed. So the phrase refers to a group of local soldiers kept ready for 'home defense'.