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

Abel, a veteran executive in the company, should become Berkshire Hathaway's chief executive at the end of the year, Buffett said. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 May 2025

Outfielder Jackson Merrill is on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, second baseman Jake Cronenworth is on the IL with a non-displaced right rib fracture and veteran starter Yu Darvish hasn’t pitched this season because of right elbow inflammation. —Steve Berman, New York Times, 3 May 2025

Comedy veteran Short has been romantically linked to three-time Oscar winner Streep in real life since last year. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 3 May 2025

Prologue Entertainment was recently founded by industry veterans Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 May 2025

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