combatant

noun

com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt 

also ˈkäm-bə-tənt

: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat

combatant adjective

Examples of combatant in a Sentence

Britain was a main combatant in World War II.

Recent Examples on the Web

There was a tumultuous battle between the combatants but alas, the giant scorpion fatally bit Artemis’ boyfriend. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

Of course, military operations often have to be kept under wraps to protect combatants and keep enemies off the scent. —Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026

As the name suggests, attack subs are designed to hunt and destroy other submarines, surface combatants (warships) and, if necessary, commercial vessels. —James Dwyer, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

While neither would preclude an attack on an armed enemy combatant, analysts noted the Iranian ship was not nearly in an equal fight with the US fast-attack sub. —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for combatant

• noncombatant
• supernatant
• patent

Kids Definition

combatant

noun

com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈbat-ᵊnt 

also ˈkäm-bət-

: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat

combatant adjective