combatant

noun

Definition of combatantnext
as in soldier
a person, group, or country that fights in a war or battle Britain was a major combatant in World War II.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of combatant And right now, all that means is finding the rest of the enemy combatants. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026 The near flattening of Gaza by Israel – with the accompanying death toll of more than 70,000 Palestinians, both civilians and combatants – has captured world attention. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026 This mode is also another chance to reinterpret Marvel through an anime lens, this time turning the mighty combatants into adorable, chibi versions of themselves. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026 Far from stabilizing Lebanon, the multinational forces soon became targets and combatants in the widening war. — Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for combatant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combatant
  1. soldier
  2. fighter
  3. warrior
  4. trooper
Noun
  • This is my personal version of those videos of soldiers coming home from war, and the other women react as such.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • An older man was carefully helped off one helicopter, while a soldier carried an older woman on his back to a medical tent.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of soldier
Noun
  • Popular and literary myth tells that when martyrs die on the soil, the earth receiving their blood will give forth new fighters, thus the roses scattered on the cracking mud.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Well, Kaatri is a fighter and the warlock at the heart of this story.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fighter
Noun
  • The army Mladic created to fight in Bosnia was a model of ruthlessness, daring and brutality in the Serb warrior tradition, once prized in the life-or-death partisan struggle against the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War Two.
    — Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • As a warrior for kindness and a defender of hope, may Parton’s legacy never leave us.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • The man punched in the face in the video is Black; the state trooper is white.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In mid-August, state troopers returned to sweep an encampment once again under Operation SAFE.
    — Jake Ramsey, Oklahoma Watch, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of trooper

Browse Nearby Words

combat
combatant
combatants
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Cite this Entry

“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combatant. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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