Definitions for martial law
mar·tial law

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. martial lawnoun

   the body of law imposed by the military over civilian affairs (usually in time of war or civil crisis); overrides civil law

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. martial lawnoun

   Rules by military authorities, especially when imposed on a civilian population in time of war or other crisis, or in an occupied territory

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Martial law

   Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. martial law

   Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of civilian functions of government during emergencies or in response to crises such as a war or a natural disaster. Under martial law, certain civil liberties may be suspended, such as the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, freedom of association, and freedom of movement. The justice system may also be replaced with military tribunals.

WikidataRate this definition:2.0 / 2 votes

1. Martial law

   Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis. Martial law is usually imposed on a temporary basis when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively, when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law becomes widespread. Fundamentally it is a requirement put on civilian government when they fail to function correctly. In most of the cases, military forces are deployed to subdue the crowds, to secure government buildings and key or sensitive locations, and to maintain order. Generally, military personnel replace civil authorities and perform some or all of their functions. In full-scale martial law, the highest-ranking military officer would take over, or be installed, as the military governor or as head of the government, thus removing all power from the previous executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. Martial law can be used by governments to enforce their rule over the public. Such incidents may occur after a coup d'état; when threatened by popular protest; to suppress political opposition; or to stabilize insurrections or perceived insurrections. Martial law may be declared in cases of major natural disasters, however most countries use a different legal construct, such as a state of emergency.

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:4.5 / 2 votes

1. Martial Law

   law administered by military force, to which civilians are amenable during an insurrection or riot.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. martial law

   The law of war, obtaining between hostile forces, or proclaimed in rebellious districts; it rests mainly on necessity, custom in like cases, and the will of the commander of the forces; thus differing from military law (which see). Martial law is proclaimed when the civil law is found to be insufficient to preserve the peace; in the case of insurrection, mutiny, &c., the will and judgment of the officer in command becomes law.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. martial law

   See Martial Law.

2. martial law

   An arbitrary law, proceeding directly from the military power, and having no immediate constitutional or legislative sanction. When it is imposed upon any specified district, all the inhabitants, and all their actions, are brought within its dominion. It is founded on paramount necessity, extends to matters of civil as well as of criminal jurisdiction, and is proclaimed only in times of war, insurrection, rebellion, or other great emergency. It is so far distinct from military law, which affects only the troops and forces. Martial law may, in fact, be termed a subjection to the Articles of War. In a hostile country it consists in the suspension, by the occupying military authority, of the civil and criminal law, and of the domestic administration and government in the occupied place or territory, and in the substitution of military rule and force for the same, as well as in the dictation of general laws, as far as military necessity requires this suspension, substitution, or dictation, and is simply military authority exercised in accordance with the laws and usages of war. Military oppression is not martial law, it is the abuse of the power which that law confers. As martial law is executed by military force, it is incumbent upon those who administer it to be strictly guided by the principles of justice, honor, and humanity,—virtues adorning a soldier even more than other men, for the very reason that he possesses the power or his arms against the unarmed. Martial law affects chiefly the police and collection of public revenue and taxes, whether imposed by the expelled government or by the invader, and refers mainly to the support and efficiency of the army, its safety, and the safety of its operations.

Matched Categories

1. • Law
   • Military

How to pronounce martial law?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say martial law in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of martial law in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of martial law in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of martial law in a Sentence

1. Brad Adams:

   Holding a witness to alleged military crimes incommunicado for six days is a profoundly disturbing abuse of authority that has become commonplace under martial law.

2. Yurdusev Ozsokmenler:

   There is a state of emergency and it is implemented like martial law in the southeast. These elections will be held under the shadow of a gun.

3. Thitinan Pongsudhirak:

   From the outside, the lifting of martial law is good news for business and tourism, but from the inside, we're functionally in the same boat.

4. Edward Alsworth Ross:

   During the last dozen years the tales of suppression of free assemblage, free press, and free speech, by local authorities or the State operating under martial law have been so numerous as to have become an old story. They are attacked at the instigation of an economically and socially powerful class, itself enjoying to the full the advantages of free communications, but bent on denying them to the class it holds within its power...

5. Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert:

   This military practice has some concerned that the U.S. Army is preparing for modern-day martial law, certainly, I can understand these concerns.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=martial law
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Martial_Law
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_Law
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=martial law
6. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#MartialLaw
7. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=martial law
8. ^ Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/59563/pg59563-images.html