mer·ce·nary
ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē 
-ne-rē
plural mercenaries
: one that serves merely for wages
especially
: a soldier hired into foreign service
mercenaries who guaranteed the success of the rebellion —
B. F. Reilly
B. F. Reilly 2
: hired for service in the army of a foreign country
Synonyms
Examples of mercenary in a Sentence
Noun
an army of foreign mercenaries
Adjective
His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary.
they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned
Recent Examples on the WebSteve Fryer, Orange County Register, 18 Apr. 2024
But our journalist heroes are on a mission, mercenaries of their tradecraft.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
In the past month, Indians desperate to find better incomes abroad have died trying: while crossing the United States’ borders, fighting as underequipped mercenaries for Russia in Ukraine and filling positions left empty by Palestinians forced to stop working in Israel.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The actress lost her role as Star Wars mercenary Cara Dune in February 2021, following a string of controversial social media posts.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024
De Niro plays a mercenary recruited to an international team by a mysterious Irish woman (Natascha McElhone) to track down and retrieve a specific metal attache case.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the new movie Roadhouse is an adrenaline-stoking film set in Florida in the 1980’s that stars none other than professional boxer Conor McGregor as Knox, playing a mercenary for hire.
—Roberta Naas, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
That account squares with Mexican military intelligence records reviewed by The Times that document foreign mercenaries, drone warfare and improvised land mines in the Tierra Caliente.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
The realistic alternative to maintaining ties to a military regime in Africa may be watching as murderous Russian mercenaries fill the void.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Less than a year ago, the Russian leader faced the gravest challenge to his rule, in the shape of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2024
After the aborted mutiny, the mercenary leader’s plane mysteriously fell out of the sky in August and he was subsequently confirmed to have died in the crash through genetic testing, Russian authorities said.
—Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
And most recently Yevgeny Prigozhin - former confidante who died with much of his Wagner mercenary elite in a suspicious plane crash last year.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
In Burkina Faso, Russia has in recent months deployed a few hundred troops from Africa Corps — which is described by Russian officials as the successor to the Wagner mercenary group — while about 1,000 Russian military personnel are estimated to be fighting with the Malian army.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
By 2024, that number had declined to 266,000, almost certainly as a result of recruiting by the Russian military and by private mercenary companies such as Wagner.
—Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024
Experts blame their rise in part on an influx into Mexico of mercenary fighters from Colombia, where explosives played a central role in a long-running war between leftist guerrilla groups and far-right paramilitaries.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Among the most illustrious were men who might be called mercenary warlords, whose taste for books assuaged (or disguised) the brutality of their profession.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Noun
An influx of high school football mercenaries is not a good look at any school and is even worse at a Catholic school.
—Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 18 Apr. 2024
But our journalist heroes are on a mission, mercenaries of their tradecraft.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
In the past month, Indians desperate to find better incomes abroad have died trying: while crossing the United States’ borders, fighting as underequipped mercenaries for Russia in Ukraine and filling positions left empty by Palestinians forced to stop working in Israel.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The actress lost her role as Star Wars mercenary Cara Dune in February 2021, following a string of controversial social media posts.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024
De Niro plays a mercenary recruited to an international team by a mysterious Irish woman (Natascha McElhone) to track down and retrieve a specific metal attache case.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the new movie Roadhouse is an adrenaline-stoking film set in Florida in the 1980’s that stars none other than professional boxer Conor McGregor as Knox, playing a mercenary for hire.
—Roberta Naas, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
That account squares with Mexican military intelligence records reviewed by The Times that document foreign mercenaries, drone warfare and improvised land mines in the Tierra Caliente.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
The realistic alternative to maintaining ties to a military regime in Africa may be watching as murderous Russian mercenaries fill the void.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The crew overcame the usual impossible odds and even betrayal by mercenary pilot Kai (Charlie Hunnam) to deliver a major blow against the oppressive regime ruled by Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee).
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Less than a year ago, the Russian leader faced the gravest challenge to his rule, in the shape of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2024
After the aborted mutiny, the mercenary leader’s plane mysteriously fell out of the sky in August and he was subsequently confirmed to have died in the crash through genetic testing, Russian authorities said.
—Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
And most recently Yevgeny Prigozhin - former confidante who died with much of his Wagner mercenary elite in a suspicious plane crash last year.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
In Burkina Faso, Russia has in recent months deployed a few hundred troops from Africa Corps — which is described by Russian officials as the successor to the Wagner mercenary group — while about 1,000 Russian military personnel are estimated to be fighting with the Malian army.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
By 2024, that number had declined to 266,000, almost certainly as a result of recruiting by the Russian military and by private mercenary companies such as Wagner.
—Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024
Experts blame their rise in part on an influx into Mexico of mercenary fighters from Colombia, where explosives played a central role in a long-running war between leftist guerrilla groups and far-right paramilitaries.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Among the most illustrious were men who might be called mercenary warlords, whose taste for books assuaged (or disguised) the brutality of their profession.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mercenary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mercenary
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercenary. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mercenary
1 of 2 noun
mer·ce·nary
ˈmərs-ᵊn-ˌer-ē
plural mercenaries
: one that serves only for wages
especially
: a soldier hired by a foreign country to fight in its army
mercenary
2 of 2 adjective1
: serving only for the pay or reward
mercenary armies
mercenary soldier
2
: greedy for money
mercenary business owners
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