commando

noun

com·​man·​do kə-ˈman-(ˌ)dō 

plural commandos or commandoes

1

South Africa

a

: a military unit or command of the Boers

b

: a raiding expedition

2

a

: a military unit trained and organized as shock troops especially for hit-and-run raids into enemy territory

b

: a member of such a unit

see also:

go commando

Examples of commando in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bin Laden’s wife lunges at a commando and is shot in the leg but not killed. — Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 1 May 2026

Disembarking in Berry’s Creek Canal required skulking through some swamp and reeds, commando style. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 16 June 2026

Netanyahu, the son of a historian, grew up in Jerusalem’s elite circles and served in the military’s prestigious Sayeret Matkal commando unit. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 29 June 2026

The class can deploy cruise missiles, heavyweight torpedoes, and naval commandos while remaining exceptionally difficult to detect. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Afrikaans kommando, from Dutch commando command, from Spanish comando, from comandar to command, from Late Latin commandare

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing commando

• go commando

Rhymes for commando

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

commando

noun

com·​man·​do kə-ˈman-dō 

plural commandos or commandoes

1

: a military unit trained and organized for surprise raids

2

: a member of a commando