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

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants beyond saying that women and children make up around half the dead. —Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025

Ejections ensued for Freeland and Giants third baseman and shortstop Matt Chapman and Willy Adames, the most physical combatants in the skirmish. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 2 Sep. 2025

In southern Kherson province, five more non-combatants lost their lives, and 47 others were wounded. —Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

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