martial law

as in law
control of an area by military forces rather than by the police The government has declared martial law throughout the city to stop the riots. an area placed under martial law

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of martial law This was the first time martial law was declared in South Korea in over 40 years. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2025 Millions of South Koreans have protested, mostly peacefully, since Mr. Yoon briefly declared martial law on Dec. 3, plunging the nation into political upheaval and prompting lawmakers to impeach him. Andrés R. Martínez, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025 In December, Yoon briefly declared martial law in South Korea, which was overturned by lawmakers who entered the National Assembly despite troops stationed at its doors. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2025 The military declares martial law in the town as Daniels and his fellow scientists race to develop a cure, even as the nefarious McClintock schemes to bomb Cedar Creek to smithereens to contain the virus. Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for martial law
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial law
Noun
  • The memo signed by Rubio also makes the case that another person, whose name is redacted, should be deportable under the same law.
    Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • This relic of constitutional law, which the Supreme Court hasn’t taken seriously since its quiet death in the New Deal era, is more mythical than historical—holding, more or less, that Congress cannot delegate its lawmaking power to another branch of government.
    Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The reason why this distinction between common and statutory law matters, at least to Jackson, is because the concept of aiding and abetting arises out of the common law.
    Ian Millhiser, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Her first couple of years in office saw Moody pursuing initiatives against opioid abuse, human trafficking and other common law enforcement targets.
    Dan Sullivan, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Two men, ages 40 and 45, were arrested for battery and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, while a 28-year-old woman was arrested for vulgar language in violation of a city ordinance.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The proposed Miami-Dade ordinance came in the wake of the death of 29-year-old farmworker Efraín López García who became ill while picking fruit on a Homestead farm on a day of record-breaking heat and died in July 2023.
    Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The 2021 legislation’s passage hinged on that amendment, which was brokered by Lucio, the former lawmaker.
    Saul Elbein, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Comedian and car aficionado Jay Leno drove state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, in a 1976 Pontiac Trans-Am past the state Capitol on Tuesday, rallying support for legislation that would ease restrictions on classic cars.
    HECTOR AMEZCUA, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The first public school in the country, Boston Latin, was founded in Boston a year earlier; the state’s constitution required every town to establish grammar schools.
    Jenna Russell, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Facing a major test, South Korea has upheld the constitution and rule of law, but the crisis has also highlighted the relative immaturity of its democratic system, legal experts say.
    Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Martial law.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial%20law. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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