combatant

noun

com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt How to pronounce combatant (audio)
 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Israel's ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025 Saab asserts that a handful of CDMS batteries could secure hundreds of kilometers of coastline, giving nations a credible maritime strike capability for a fraction of the cost of a surface combatant. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025 In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025 This figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians and is disputed by Israeli officials, but is widely cited by Western sources. MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for combatant

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of combatant was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combatant. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

combatant

noun
com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈbat-ᵊnt How to pronounce combatant (audio)
 also  ˈkäm-bət-
: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat
combatant adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on combatant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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