commando

noun

com·​man·​do kə-ˈman-(ˌ)dō 

plural commandos or commandoes

1

South Africa

a

: a military unit or command of the Boers

b

: a raiding expedition

2

a

: a military unit trained and organized as shock troops especially for hit-and-run raids into enemy territory

b

: a member of such a unit

see also:

go commando

Examples of commando in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

New additions to the cast include not only Pattinson but also Isaach de Bankolé as Paul’s former Fedaykin death commando. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 8 July 2026

Pattinson joins the ranks, as does acclaimed Ivorian actor Isaach De Bankolé, who plays Farok, a disenchanted Fedaykin death commando (essentially, a former Atreides guard). — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2026

The French commandos found that the ship had a Chinese captain but also happened to be carrying two Russians employed by the Moran Security Group, a Russian private military company founded by former Federal Security Service officers. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026

Safety is given to us by intelligence analysts reviewing threats 24 hours a day, by commandos ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, and by leaders who find the courage to make the toughest calls. — Anne Neuberger, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Afrikaans kommando, from Dutch commando command, from Spanish comando, from comandar to command, from Late Latin commandare

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing commando

• go commando

Rhymes for commando

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

commando

noun

com·​man·​do kə-ˈman-dō 

plural commandos or commandoes

1

: a military unit trained and organized for surprise raids

2

: a member of a commando