human shield

noun

a person or group of people located or intentionally placed in a potential line of fire or in an area likely to be attacked.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of human shield¹

First recorded in 1880–85

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Meanwhile, at the party Valentin’s buddy seizes Mook as a human shield.

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“The decision has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity,” he added.

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Is it legal, in a conflict situation, to kill a human shield?

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Israel says it is targeting “terrorist infrastructure sites, Hezbollah command centers, and weapons storage facilities… embedded by Hezbollah adjacent to civilian infrastructure” and “exploiting the civilian population as a human shield.”

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Yahya Sinwar, 61, was said to have spent much of his time hiding in tunnels along with a small team of bodyguards and a "human shield" of hostages seized from Israel.

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human services human T-cell lymphotropic virus

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