conscription

noun

con·​scrip·​tion kən-ˈskrip-shən How to pronounce conscription (audio)
: compulsory enrollment of persons especially for military service : draft
During the war the armed forces were heavily dependent on conscription.

Did you know?

With its scrip- root, conscription means basically writing someone's name on a list—a list that, unfortunately, a lot of people usually don't want to be on. Conscription has existed at least since ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom (27th century B.C.), though universal conscription has been rare throughout history. Forms of conscription were used by Prussia, Switzerland, Russia, and other European powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the U.S., conscription was first applied during the Civil War, by both the North and the South. In the North there were pockets of resistance, and the draft led to riots in several cities. The U.S. abandoned conscription at the end of the war and didn't revive it until World War I.

Examples of conscription in a Sentence

young people who face conscription into the army
Recent Examples on the Web Unlike most Israelis, for whom military service is mandatory, Haredim are exempt from conscription to focus on religious study. Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Hundreds of thousands of its citizens have fled abroad to avoid conscription. Matthew Chance, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 At the beginning of the doc, Mediha lives with her two brothers (their uncle rescued them from ISIS slavery and conscription) and is still searching for her mother, Afaf, and her youngest brother, Bazan. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023 After the death of her husband, Elizabeth reconnects with Patrick (Ian Holm) — the band's former drummer and only male member, who avoided conscription during the war by cross-dressing. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 14 Nov. 2023 Latvia has reintroduced conscription, and France’s next seven-year defense budget will be 40% larger than its last one. TIME, 21 Feb. 2024 Evading conscription is punishable by three to five years in prison and a fine. Helen Regan, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 Dissent is growing over mass conscription and poor medical care for soldiers. Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 3 Jan. 2024 While Indigenous people were exempt from conscription in Canada, Mountain Horse was among the roughly 4,000 who served during World War I. Anne Wallentine, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conscription.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see conscript entry 1

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conscription was in 1800

Dictionary Entries Near conscription

Cite this Entry

“Conscription.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscription. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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