partisans/guerillas

Hi,

When there is a war not only does the official army fight to prevent their country from being invaded, but there are also people called partisans who join together to resists those who are going to occupy their country. Can we use "guerillas" in this meaning? The dictionary says that guerillas fight the army of THEIR OWN country during a mutiny or a civil war. Is that true? Can we call partisans guerillas?

Thanks

They're not words I use very often, but they seem to be pretty similar in meaning and could probably be used interchangeably in most cases, yes.

Definition of Partisan:

Quote:

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1. A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.
2. A member of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory; a guerilla.

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The main difference for me is that guerilla suggests a particular style of fighting too. One of harassing a more powerful army.