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

Phrases

go commando

slang : to wear no underwear

Examples of commando in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Moon's Joint Army unleashes soldiers while an elite commando unit from Earth called VC3 Squad, led by Jack, infiltrates undercover to wipe out the rebel faction known as the Moon Chains. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Apr. 2025

This week, Finnish commandos boarded an oil tanker that officials suspect had cut through vital underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, including one that carries electricity between Finland and Estonia. —Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024

In the past, Israel has carried out commando operations deep inside Lebanon to kidnap or kill Hezbollah and Palestinian officials. —Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

But the 2019 clash, and an earlier 2016 raid by Indian commandos across the Line of Control after a militant attack on one of their Jammu and Kashmir headquarters, demonstrated that retaliatory strikes need not escalate to nuclear exchange. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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