What does "militate" mean?

To give force or effect toward; to influence.

What is a synonym for "militate"?

Common synonyms include: act, aid, be effective, be in action, cancel out, count.

Militate

//ˈmɪlɪteɪt// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1
To give force or effect toward; to influence.
"to militate in favor of a particular result"
2
have force or influence; bring about an effect or change wordnet
3
To serve as a soldier or participate in warfare. obsolete
"This..moues many Italian Caualiers to militate in the warres of Holland."

Synonyms

All synonyms

act aid be effective be in action cancel out count

Example

More examples

"to militate in favor of a particular result"

Etymology

First attested in 1598; borrowed from Latin mīlitātus, perfect passive participle from mīlitō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Semantically from its cognate, French militer.

More for "militate"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

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