Akademik

Provos
noun
a militant organization of Irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive British forces from Northern Ireland and achieve a united independent Ireland
• Syn: ↑Irish Republican Army, ↑IRA, ↑Provisional Irish Republican Army, ↑Provisional IRA
• Topics: ↑terrorism, ↑act of terrorism, ↑terrorist act
• Regions: ↑Ireland, ↑Republic of Ireland, ↑Irish Republic, ↑Eire
• Instance Hypernyms: ↑terrorist organization, ↑terrorist group, ↑foreign terrorist organization, ↑FTO
• Part Meronyms: ↑Sinn Fein

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the Provisionals [the Provisionals] (also infml the Provos)
another name for the Provisional ↑IRA, the part of the IRA that has committed acts of violence for political purposes.
Compare ↑Sinn Fein

Useful english dictionary. 2012.