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Definition of mercenary
mercenaries
: one that serves merely for wages; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service mercenaries who guaranteed the success of the rebellion — B. F. Reilly
From the M-W Editors
Examples of mercenary in a Sentence
an army of foreign mercenaries
Recent Examples of mercenary from the Web
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The man is John McBurney (Colin Farrell), an Irish mercenary who has deserted his Union army post after a severe leg injury.
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Ilona and Gordon's first book, Magic Bites, came out in 2009 and launched the now-nine-book Kate Daniels series, which involves vampires, mercenaries, necromancers, shapeshifters, and everything in between.
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What should be a collection of professionals evolving as a unit instead devolves into a group of mercenaries punching a clock, cashing a check and marking time.
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The Great Wall Matt Damon battles fantastical alien monsters as a European mercenary seeking gun powder in 11th century China.
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Streets of Fire Michael Pare and Diane Lane star in this stylized 1984 crime fantasy about a mercenary hired to rescue his ex-girlfriend, who was kidnapped by a motorcycle gang.
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Street-smart mercenaries who look out for themselves—at least until the morally righteous hero gets through to them.
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The movie tells the story of Silver Sable, a mercenary who hunts war criminals, and Black Cat, a burglar also known as Felicia Hardy.
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Silver Sable, created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1985, is a mercenary who runs a company that hunts war criminals.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mercenary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of mercenary
Middle English, from Latin mercenarius, irregular from merced-, merces wages — more at mercy
mercenary
Definition of mercenary
Examples of mercenary in a Sentence
His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary.
they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned
Recent Examples of mercenary from the Web
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Mija, unlike her mercenary grandfather, was kept in the dark about Mirando’s machinations.
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Other news organizations have reported receiving leaked Emirati emails from a group calling itself GlobalLeaks and using email addressing ending in .ru, suggesting the mercenary hackers may be Russians or wish to pose as Russian.
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The Intercept's Matthew Cole and Jeremy Scahill report that the founder of the mercenary security firm Blackwater, Erik Prince, is also under federal investigation for ties to Chinese intelligence.
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Martin’s fine study of cultural diplomacy reminds us that ideas are mercenary creatures, always available to serve new masters.
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The actress, who plays conniving first lady Claire Underwood opposite Kevin Spacey’s mercenary President Frank Underwood, has won a Golden Globe and earned multiple Emmy nominations for her work on the show.
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There are a lot of anti-anti-Trump pundits, and no one shared quality that motivates them all; some are basically mercenary in their approach to commentary—
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The record is a story/concept album, inspired by the mercenary pagan Vikings of the title, drawing on an 13th-century saga for inspiration.
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Twenty years after graduation, Veronica (Sandra Oh) is the coldly mercenary wife of a high-flying financier; her frenemy Ashley (Anne Heche) is a struggling artist.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mercenary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of mercenary
see 1mercenary
MERCENARY Defined for English Language Learners
mercenary
playDefinition of mercenary for English Language Learners
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: a soldier who is paid by a foreign country to fight in its army : a soldier who will fight for any group or country that hires him
mercenary
Definition of mercenary for English Language Learners
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: hired to fight
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: caring only about making money
MERCENARY Defined for Kids
Definition of mercenary for Students
mercenaries
: a soldier paid by a foreign country to fight in its army
Definition of mercenary for Students
1 : doing something only for the pay or reward
2 : greedy for money I may be mercenary, but I hate poverty … — Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Learn More about mercenary
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See words that rhyme with mercenary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mercenary Spanish Central: Translation of mercenary Nglish: Translation of mercenary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mercenary for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mercenary
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