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Military & Defence vocabulary · Training & Service Life

Conscription

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/kənˈskrɪpʃn/nounCommon term

In military & defence, conscription means: A system in which the state requires citizens, usually young men, to serve in the armed forces for a fixed period.

In Turkish: zorunlu askerlik, mecburi askerlik

How it is used

In American English the usual word is 'the draft'; a person called up is a conscript (UK) or draftee (US). Countries introduce, keep or abolish conscription; the alternative is an all-volunteer, professional force.

Example sentences

  1. Under conscription, young people serve for a fixed period and then return to civilian life.

  2. The seminar compared conscription with fully professional armed forces.

Common collocations

  • introduce conscription
  • abolish conscription
  • compulsory military service
  • conscription system
  • enlistTo join the armed forces voluntarily by signing up for a period of service, usually as a private soldier rather than as an officer.
  • reservistA trained person who is not in full-time military service but can be called up when needed, and who usually trains part-time.
  • dischargeThe official release of a person from military service, at the end of their contract or period of service or for medical or other reasons.
  • basic trainingThe first period of military training for new recruits, teaching discipline, fitness, drill and the essential skills of a soldier.

More terms: Training & Service Life

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