Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A member of an irregular, usually indigenous military or paramilitary force operating in small bands in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy, as by surprise raids.
  • adjective Of or relating to guerrillas or their tactics.
  • adjective Using unconventional and usually inexpensive means to generate interest or raise concern among the public, as in commercial marketing or social activism.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun War carried on by the repeated attacks of independent bands; a system of irregular warfare by means of raids and surprises.
  • noun Properly, a band of independent and generally predatory fighters in a war; now, more commonly, an individual member of such a band.
  • Of or pertaining to guerrillas: as, a guerrilla attack; a guerrilla band.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Pertaining to, or engaged in, warfare carried on irregularly and by independent bands
  • noun An irregular mode of carrying on war, by the constant attacks of independent bands, adopted in the north of Spain during the Peninsular war.
  • noun One who carries on, or assists in carrying on, irregular warfare; especially, a member of an independent band engaged in predatory excursions in war time.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A non-official war carried out by small independent groups; a guerrilla war.
  • noun A soldier in a small independent group, fighting against the government or regular forces by surprise raids.
  • adjective military Relating to, using, or typical of guerrilla warfare, or its principles of small independent or non-official perpetrators.
  • adjective marketing Relating to, using, or typical of guerrilla marketing.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Spanish, raiding party, guerrilla force, diminutive of guerra, war, of Germanic origin; see wers- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Spanish guerrilla, diminutive of guerra ("war").

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Examples

  • But the head of the College Republicans says he had to use what he calls guerrilla tactics.

    CNN Transcript Nov 22, 2006 2006

  • But the head of the College Republicans says he had to use what he calls guerrilla tactics.

    CNN Transcript Nov 22, 2006 2006

  • Updates, 11 / 1: "In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens," writes

    GreenCine Daily 2009

  • Updates, 11 / 1: "In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens," writes

    GreenCine Daily 2009

  • Updates, 11 / 1: "In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens," writes

    GreenCine Daily 2009

  • Updates, 11 / 1: "In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens," writes

    GreenCine Daily 2009

  • Updates, 11 / 1: "In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens," writes

    GreenCine Daily 2009

  • There were 12 of us with M-1s strapped to our backs, not one of us trained in guerrilla warfare.

    Heroes or Villains? 2010

  • Previous Post This week in guerrilla filmmaking: 'Ikea Heights'

    'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Reunion recap: Boo! | EW.com 2009

  • This week in guerrilla filmmaking: 'Ikea Heights' | EW. com

    This week in guerrilla filmmaking: 'Ikea Heights' | EW.com 2009

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