Definitions:

1. A loyalist paramilitary group formed in Northern Ireland in 1971, established to defend the unionist community during The Troubles, a period of sectarian conflict. NOUN
   • The Ulster Defence Association played a controvertial role in the Northern Irish conflict, with many of its actions sparking further unrest.
2. A loyalist paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland, whose primary aim was to defend unionist and Protestant communities from republican violence and oppose a united Ireland. NOUN
   • The Ulster Defence Association emerged as a vigilante group in 1971 to protect Protestant communities from attacks by the Irish Republican Army.

Synonyms:

• uda