war band
Tribal fighting force
A war band is a group of warriors organized for raiding or combat, typically smaller and less formal than an army.
The term evokes pre-modern societies—Viking raiders, Celtic tribes, medieval retinues—where fighters gathered around a chief or leader for specific campaigns: The war band descended on the coastal village at dawn.
In fantasy games and fiction, war bands are common units of hostile forces.
- raidingSudden attack for plunder
- raiding partyGroup making sudden attack
- sworn brothersMen bound by oath
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- tribeSocial group sharing ancestry
tribal chief · pillage · shields · shield wall · swords · sword arm · battle axe · chieftain · horde · plunder · marauders · skirmish · conquest · Vikings · Saxons · oath · loyalty · blood oath
war bandstanding army
Continuously maintained military force
regular army · conscript army · garrison · national guard · peacekeeping force
war banddiplomatic mission
State envoy group abroad
aid convoy · humanitarian mission · monastic community · merchant guild · civilian population
war, band, wars, warred, warring, warlike, warrior, warriors, warfare