guerrillas
Irregular armed rebels
Guerrillas are irregular fighters who use hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, and sabotage rather than conventional warfare.
The term typically describes small, mobile groups fighting larger government or occupying forces: The guerrillas operated from jungle hideouts.
Guerrilla as an adjective describes this style of unconventional combat: guerrilla warfare, guerrilla tactics.
The word extends to unconventional approaches in other domains: guerrilla marketing, guerrilla gardening.
Those fighting established authority
- combatantsThose engaged in warfare
- fightersThose who engage physically
- militiaNon-professional armed force
- irregularsUnofficial combatants or anomalies
paramilitary · ambush · hit-and-run · sabotage · raids · tactics · asymmetrical warfare · unconventional warfare
- Fidel CastroCuban revolutionary dictator
- Ho Chi MinhVietnamese nationalist leader
- ZapatistasMexican revolutionary indigenous movement
- SandinistasNicaraguan revolutionary political party
FARC · Viet Cong · Maoists · ETA · IRA · manifesto · ideology · uprising
Below ground or countercultural
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
struggle · subversion · liberation · freedom fighters · partisans · occupation · sympathizer · safe house
insurgents
Those fighting established authority
- combatantsThose engaged in warfare
- fightersThose who engage physically
- militiaNon-professional armed force
irregulars · paramilitary · ambush · hit-and-run · sabotage · raids · tactics · asymmetrical warfare · unconventional warfare · urban warfare
Che Guevara
- Fidel CastroCuban revolutionary dictator
- Ho Chi MinhVietnamese nationalist leader
- ZapatistasMexican revolutionary indigenous movement
Sandinistas · FARC · Viet Cong · Maoists · ETA · IRA · manifesto · ideology · uprising · insurrection
underground
Below ground or countercultural
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
opposition · struggle · subversion · liberation · freedom fighters · partisans · occupation · sympathizer · safe house · propaganda
- armed groupsmilitia, insurgents, paramilitary, militias, paramilitaries
- uprisingsuprising, revolt, rebellion, insurrection, mutiny
- raidersraiders, marauders, pillagers, plunderers, looters
- January Uprisinginsurgents, insurgent forces, insurgent leaders, national government, partisans
- Viet CongViet Cong, VC, Charlie, cadres, insurgents
- Fringe Groupsmilitias, extremists, radicals, separatists, dissidents
guerrillasregular army
Nation's permanent military force
standing army · conventional forces · regulars · infantry · line infantry
guerrillassecurity forces
Organizations enforcing safety
occupiers · government forces · peacekeepers · counterrevolutionaries · military police
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
- guerrilla tacticsAsymmetric combat by mobile fighters
- guerrilla fightersIrregular combatants using ambush tactics
- guerrilla marketingUnconventional low-budget advertising tactics
- guerrilla attackSurprise assault by irregulars
- urban guerrillaCity-based irregular combatant