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infantry

noun
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in·​fan·​try | \ ˈin-fən-trē How to pronounce infantry (audio) \
plural infantries

Definition of infantry

1a : 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
Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about infantry

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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.

Examples of infantry in a Sentence

He joined the infantry after leaving school.
Recent Examples on the Web The deployments include Army Rangers, an elite infantry unit, and a battalion of U.S. Marines. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "All the U.S. Military Hardware Headed to the Middle East," 6 Jan. 2020 His infantry units would creep to the edge of villages to suppress any anti-tank fire ahead of armored advances. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The Art of Dying," 16 Dec. 2019 The 27th/60th Land Clearing Task Force served in Vietnam, clearing the jungle for infantry units. — Linda G. Kramer, cleveland, "Berea veterans honor Vietnam Jungle Eaters with brick paver: Community Voices," 7 Dec. 2019 The additional American forces being considered are not Army or Marine infantry units, but air and missile defense units, as well as additional warships, officials say. — Fox News, "Pentagon mulls sending up to 7,000 additional forces to Middle East, officials say," 6 Dec. 2019 Jobs in the infantry unit, as well as as elsewhere in the military, do not always translate to a civilian job, Velez said. — Cathy Kozlowicz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Companies can help veterans as they re-enter civilian life, and the Germantown chamber has a program to show them how," 6 Dec. 2019 The son of a West Point graduate and career Army officer, Edward Gallagher enlisted in the Navy as a medic in 1999 and deployed to Iraq attached to a Marine infantry unit. — BostonGlobe.com, "Who is Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher?," 25 Nov. 2019 The son of a West Point graduate and career Army officer, Edward Gallagher enlisted in the Navy as a medic in 1999 and deployed to Iraq attached to a Marine infantry unit. — New York Times, "Who Is Edward Gallagher, the SEAL the Navy Wants to Expel?," 24 Nov. 2019 During his Army career, Vindman served as an infantry officer and did tours in South Korea, Germany and Iraq. — chicagotribune.com, "Trump impeachment hearings: 6 takeaways from Day 5 of inquiry, including a former security official testifying ambassador carried out a ‘political errand’," 21 Nov. 2019

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.

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First Known Use of infantry

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for infantry

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

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Time Traveler for infantry

Time Traveler

The first known use of infantry was in 1579

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Statistics for infantry

Last Updated

8 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Infantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infantry. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for infantry

infantry

noun
How to pronounce infantry (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of infantry

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

See the full definition for infantry in the English Language Learners Dictionary

infantry

noun
in·​fan·​try | \ ˈin-fən-trē How to pronounce infantry (audio) \
plural infantries

Kids Definition of infantry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on infantry

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for 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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