How to Use martial law in a Sentence

martial law

noun
  • The government has imposed martial law throughout the city to stop the riots.
  • Elections are banned in Ukraine while martial law is in place.
    — Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
  • This is not a call for martial law or a long-term military presence.
    — Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Under martial law, elections can't be held.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Ukraine is under martial law, which prevents holding elections.
    — Laura Kelly, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025
  • To retreat now, as the regime imposes silence and martial law, is abandonment.
    — Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
  • In January, he was sentenced to five years in prison for charges related to the martial law decree.
    — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The martial law lasted six hours as he was forced to lift it after the assembly unanimously voted it down.
    — Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.
    — Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Judge Ji believed Yoon deserved a severe penalty for his martial law decree.
    — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Is the deployment of National Guard troops martial law?
    — Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Aug. 2025
  • He was impeached 11 days after declaring martial law and removed from office four months later.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
  • He was sentenced in January to five years for lesser crimes related to his martial law attempt.
    — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Other key Yoon allies have already been prosecuted for their roles in the martial law decree.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
  • After attempting one-man rule and declaring martial law, he was judged guilty of obstructing democracy.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2026
  • He was arrested and faces charges of insurrection over his martial law bid, which carries a maximum penalty of death.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Yoon faces a slew of criminal trials related to his martial law debacle and other scandals.
    — ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Because the film was made during censorship under martial law in Taiwan, the film was heavily cut.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Yoon eventually lifted martial law about six hours after his announcement.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Ordinary citizens rushed to defend the parliament against martial law troops.
    — NPR, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Under the Constitution, elections are to be held in 30 days, though martial law could overrule.
    — Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • The development has led some on social media to wonder what the deployment means and whether it could be considered martial law.
    — Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Aug. 2025
  • This is martial law disguised as law-and-order—the oldest trick in the authoritarian playbook.
    — John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Ukraine would have to hold elections within 100 days after their suspension under martial law during the war.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
  • They have been suspended under the martial law since Russia fully invaded.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Yoon has denied deploying the drones or attempting an insurrection by declaring martial law.
    — MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
  • Cho's team has demanded the death sentence for Yoon by viewing his martial law imposition as a rebellion.
    — Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Cho’s team has demanded the death sentence for Yoon by viewing his martial law imposition as a rebellion.
    — Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Alongside this implicit social contract, martial law gave the state the legal right to restrict many aspects of civic and political life.
    — Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The three are already on trial on insurrection charges relating to the martial law declaration.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

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

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