D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

Militant

/mĭl'-ət-ənt/ · Mil·i·tant · IPA /ˈmɪlɪtənt/
01 a. Engaged in warfare; fighting; combating; serving as a soldier.
  1. 1.
    Engaged in warfare; fighting; combating; serving as a soldier.
    “At which command the powers militant . . . Moved on in silence.” Milton.
Phrases & compounds
Church militant — the Christian church on earth, which is supposed to be engaged in a constant warfare against its enemies, and is thus distinguished from the church triumphant, in heaven.