infantry

noun in·fan·try \ ˈin-fən-trē \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: infantry in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of infantry

plural infantries

1 a : soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot

b : a branch of an army composed of these soldiers

2 : an infantry regiment or division

See infantry defined for English-language learners

See infantry defined for kids

Examples of infantry in a Sentence

He joined the infantry after leaving school.

Recent Examples of infantry from the Web

The Army is massively revving up its fleet of Bradley Fighting Vehicles through a recent deal to add up to 473 of the new infantry carriers, service officials said.

— kris osborn, Fox News, "Army makes massive Bradley buy - up to 473 vehicles to prep for major power war," 27 June 2018
The pilot scheme will cover a few dozen armored infantry transports (Bradley M2A3s) deployed in active service.

— james vincent, The Verge, "The US Army is using machine learning to predict when combat vehicles need repair," 26 June 2018
Baker was a member of an infantry regiment near the city of Yongbyong, North Korea, where his battalion lost contact with two other regiments in late November 1950.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Missing for 67 years, homecoming Saturday for Gary soldier," 21 June 2018
The military, in disarray, is easily infiltrated by the huckster Tobias Beckett and his gang, who pass themselves off as a captain and infantry.

— amy erica smith, Vox, "Solo reveals the weakness of the Star Wars Galactic Empire," 20 June 2018
Edwin Sibley flew infantry fighters who parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day and died six months later when his C-47 Skytrain plane crashed while crossing the English Channel.

— lisa maria garza, OrlandoSentinel.com, "South Lake County veterans 'who gave all' honored with Memorial Day banners," 24 May 2018
These radios, used in the field by infantry, have been a headache for the Army for much of the last decade.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "The Army’s costly quest for the perfect radio continues," 8 Mar. 2018
Some of those additional troops will fill gaps in existing combat formations, such as infantry brigades, and others will add new capabilities for the forces, such as cyber troops.

— greg jaffe, Washington Post, "Trump’s budget promises the Pentagon more of everything," 12 Feb. 2018
Just about anything the IDF buys will be used in action sooner or later—probably sooner—a reality that Tzuker, a ramrod-straight former infantry officer, understood better than most.

— matthew campbell, Bloomberg.com, "Benjamin Netanyahu Could Be Heading for a Fifth Term. Or to Court," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infantry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The Italian word fante (from Latin infans, “infant, child”) originally meant “child,” later “youth, boy,” and then “servant.” In the 14th century, fante also took on the sense “foot soldier.” In Renaissance times, the fanteria, foot soldiers collectively, became a significant branch of arms, and the Italian word infanteria, was borrowed into English in the 1500s.

Origin and Etymology of infantry

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French infanterie, from Old Italian infanteria, from infante boy, foot soldier, from Latin infant-, infans

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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INFANTRY Defined for English Language Learners

infantry

noun

Definition of infantry for English Language Learners

: the part of an army that has soldiers who fight on foot

INFANTRY Defined for Kids

infantry

noun in·fan·try \ ˈin-fən-trē \

Definition of infantry for Students

plural infantries

: a branch of an army composed of soldiers trained to fight on foot

Learn More about infantry

Spanish Central: Translation of infantry Nglish: Translation of infantry for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of infantry for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about infantry

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Definition of infantry

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infantry

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