adventurer

noun ad·ven·tur·er \ əd-ˈven-ch(ə-)rər \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Definition of adventurer

1 : someone who seeks dangerous or exciting experiences : a person who looks for adventures: such as

a : soldier of fortune

b : one who engages in risky commercial enterprises for profit

2 somewhat old-fashioned : one who seeks unmerited wealth or position especially by playing on the credulity or prejudice of others

See adventurer defined for English-language learners

See adventurer defined for kids

Recent Examples of adventurer from the Web

Black Spire Outpost is an infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers traveling around the Outer Rim and Wild Space.

— marjie lambert, miamiherald, "A new name in Star Wars lore: village at Galaxy's Edge, home to rogues and smugglers | Miami Herald," 27 May 2018
There is indeed a lot to discover in Asheville’s outdoors, and not just for adventurers.

— jessica levy, USA TODAY, "6 reasons you’re going to love the outdoors in Asheville, North Carolina," 30 Apr. 2018
Or the New York City Fire Museum, featuring ornate 19th-century hose trucks and Chief, a taxidermy-stuffed Brooklyn firehouse dog from the 1930s? Mr. Greenwald says Live is no niche app for urban adventurers.

— anne kadet, WSJ, "New York City Adventures at Your Fingertips With New App," 24 Apr. 2018
While some water-centric getaways this time of year require nerves of steel, stamina, and a willingness to get drenched, that’s just the ticket for adventurers in search of a cure for those last vestiges of cabin fever.

— carla minsky, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wetsuits, Whitewater and the Whoosh of Spring," 13 Apr. 2018
Joukhadar’s debut novel is the story of two girls who lived 800 years apart: a modern-day Syrian refugee and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a mapmaker, both driven by circumstance into exile and a journey across the Middle East.

— carole goldberg, courant.com, "Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, Blanche McCrary Boyd To Give Book Talks," 2 May 2018
Neither did the library of writers and the pantheon of urban adventurers who unlocked the hidden places of Paris and London and the other great cities of the world.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "In a city full of journalists and photographers, does Chicago have any secrets left?," 1 May 2018
Around the World in 80 Days’’ (1956), starring David Niven as balloonist and adventurer Phileas Fogg and Cantinflas as his trusty manservant.

— adam bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Michael Anderson, 98, acclaimed director," 30 Apr. 2018
Drinking may have cut short the dreams of the 54-year-old one-time phlebotomist, short-time adventurer and occasional community theater actor who suffered from bipolar disorder since his teens.

— jesse garza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Kirk Schandelmeier died homeless. But while alive, he was a poet, actor, writer, dreamer," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adventurer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.