veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈve-tə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

a

: a former member of the armed forces

b

: an old soldier of long service

2

: a person of long experience usually in some occupation or skill (such as politics or the arts)

veteran adjective

Synonyms

• doyen
• old hand
• old-timer
• stager
• vet
• warhorse

Examples of veteran in a Sentence

a veteran of the political scene

He's a 10-year veteran with the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

The new venture will be run by Fiore, production and sales vet Pape Boye, veteran producer Sarah Aknine, Logical Content Ventures managing director Louis Ladreyt and head of development and acquisitions Nicola Ofoego. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 17 May 2024

Heyward’s activation wasn’t a surprise, after manager Dave Roberts announced Thursday the veteran had completed his rehab assignment following a six-week back injury. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long experience, from veter-, vetus old — more at wether

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈvet-ə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

: a person who has had long experience (as in politics or the arts)

2

: a former member of the armed forces especially during wartime

veteran adjective