Guerrilla

//ɡəˈɹɪlə// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A soldier in a small independent group, fighting against the government or regular forces by surprise raids.

    "The right-wing paramilitary's offensive against the Marxist guerrillas failed because they did not know the terrain well enough."

  2. 2
    a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment wordnet
  3. 3
    A non-official war carried out by small independent groups; a guerrilla war. archaic
  4. 4
    A marketer who uses guerrilla marketing techniques.
  5. 5
    A maker of guerrilla television.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Relating to, using, or typical of guerrilla warfare, or its principles of small independent or non-official perpetrators.

    "Wherever Nicholson was most wanted, there he was sure to be found. What his life was at this time may be seen from a letter he wrote to his mother: 'I am leading a very guerrilla sort of life with seven hundred horse and foot raised among the people of the country. The chieftain who is in rebellion has eight regular regiments and sixteen guns, so that I am unable to meet them openly in the field.'"

  2. 2
    Relating to, using, or typical of guerrilla marketing.

    "We took a very guerrilla approach to marketing Goin' Hollywood, in keeping with the irreverent tone of the game."

  3. 3
    Using unconventional, non-traditional, non-mainstream and often subversive practices to achieve something.

    "guerrilla marketing"

Example

More examples

"In reports in America, guerrilla resistance by the Iraq military is called terrorism."

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish guerrilla, diminutive of guerra (“war”), coined during the Peninsular War.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.