guerrilla warfare

noun

1. the use of hit-and-run tactics by small, mobile groups of irregular forces operating in territory controlled by a hostile, regular force.

guerrilla warfare

1. Wars fought with hit-and-run tactics by small groups against an invader or against an established government. (See counterinsurgency.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of guerrilla warfare¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

"The marine firefighter battalion is waging guerrilla warfare, hoses in hand," said the city's Mayor Benoît Payan, referring to Marseille's fire and rescue service.

From BBC

Last September, Israel's then-defence minister declared that "Hamas as a military formation no longer exists" and that it was engaged in guerrilla warfare.

From BBC

Another farmer, David Lemon, said hare coursing has become like "guerrilla warfare" in his area on the Wiltshire-Hampshire border.

From BBC

India’s independence movement was closely aligned with Ireland's, for example, and explicitly modeled on the combination of civil disobedience and guerrilla warfare that won Irish independence in the 1920s.

From Salon

The court has previously heard Rhianan downloaded bomb manuals, guides on guerrilla warfare and media glorifying white supremacy and Nazism.

From BBC