martial law
nounDefinition of martial law
1
: the law applied in occupied territory by the military authority of the occupying power
2
: the law administered by military forces that is invoked by a government in an emergency when the civilian law enforcement agencies are unable to maintain public order and safety
Examples of martial law in a Sentence
The government has imposed martial law throughout the city to stop the riots.
an area placed under martial law
Recent Examples on the Web
My grandmother entered adulthood just as the island came under martial law. — Dallas News, "I'm not alone in my strange hunger: How 'The Farewell' reflects food and the Chinese-American family," 9 Aug. 2019 The best way to shut up the sources is to win lots of games, not declare martial law on them. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: Cincinnati Reds acquisition of pitcher Gausman positively extravagant," 6 Aug. 2019 In her second year, in response to the spread of demonstrations across the country, the government declared martial law. — Ruth Franklin, The New Yorker, "Olga Tokarczuk’s Novels Against Nationalism," 29 July 2019 Li was a hard-liner best known for announcing martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests that ended in bloodshed. — NBC News, "Hong Kong police fire tear gas after protesters defy ban on march," 27 July 2019 Li was a hard-liner who announced martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which ended in bloodshed. — Alice Fung And Yanan Wang, chicagotribune.com, "Hong Kong protesters take over arrivals terminal at international airport," 26 July 2019 The next night, Li, flushed with anger, went on national television to announce martial law in Beijing. — Ken Moritsugu, USA TODAY, "Li Peng, Chinese premier during violent Tiananmen Square crackdown, dies at 91," 31 May 2019 The Jamesburg Earth Station was also used in 1989 to pick up satellite transmissions from Western broadcasters in Tiananmen Square after the Chinese government declared martial law and censored the press, including CNN and CBS. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Unpublished photos of Apollo 11 recovery come to the surface," 19 July 2019 King’s government eventually declared martial law to suppress the rebellion, a task made easier by Dorr’s failure to capture the state arsenal in Providence in May 1842. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Make the Guarantee Clause Great Again," 17 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'martial law.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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