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We picked up hors de combat directly from French back in the mid-18th century. Benjamin Franklin put the term to use in a 1776 letter, observing that an "arrow sticking in any part of a man puts him hors du [sic] combat till it is extracted." But you don't have to use the word as literally as Franklin did. Combat can refer to any fight or contest, not just fighting in a war. A politician who's out of the running in a political race could be declared "hors de combat," for example. But the adjective (or adverb) need not refer only to humans or animals: if you own a car, chances are your vehicle has been hors de combat at least once.
Examples of hors de combat in a Sentence
Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Nov. 2022
The core principle of humane warfare is that fighters may kill one another at any time, excepting those who are rendered hors de combat, and must avoid targeting civilians.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2020
In just two weeks the likes of Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Sam Darnold, Darnold’s backup Trevor Siemian, Nick Foles and possibly Cam Newton have been rendered hors de combat.
—Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Hors de combat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hors%20de%20combat. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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