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

The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence that elite Australian Special Air Service and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

The defendants’ main argument is that Haitian national police officers and presidential security details had already killed Moïse before the Colombian commandos arrived at his home to assist in his arrest. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026

The Wall Street Journal added that the airman, who eluded capture for 36 hours and hid in a remote mountain crevice, was rescued by a specialized commando force. —Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026

Three additional aircraft were sent into theater to fetch the commandos. —James Laporta, CBS News, 5 Apr. 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