Words at Play : Top 10 Words of the '00s
This word comes from the Latin, meaning "to rise up."
Far more neutral than terms like "terrorist" and "freedom fighter," it often appears in news accounts and inspired a lot of lookups
early in the Iraq war.
Example:
"Insurgents now are more active [and] more organized, and the political environment, whether
in Pakistan or Afghanistan, favors insurgent activities."
A Security Analyst quoted in the Huffington Post, June 2008