mer·ce·nary
ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē 
-ne-rē
plural 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
B. F. Reilly 2
: hired for service in the army of a foreign country
Examples of mercenary in a Sentence
Noun
an army of foreign mercenaries
Adjective
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 on the Web
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 July 2025
While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide (Fan Bingbing) encounter a group of Nepali mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers and the local villagers’ homeland.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 June 2025
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 5 July 2025
Detractors might argue that lo-fi beats was always mercenary music engineered and optimized to hook sad bois with no taste, and good riddance.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
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Noun
Based on a cult comic by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film followed a group of mercenaries who had the gift of immortality — they could be stabbed and amputated and maimed and mangled and burnt while fighting and still miraculously come back.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 July 2025
While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide (Fan Bingbing) encounter a group of Nepali mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers and the local villagers’ homeland.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 June 2025
Adjective
The new film — directed by Gareth Edwards — stars Scarlett Johansson as mercenary Zora Bennett and Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis as Bennett leads a dangerous expedition to secure the genetic material of the world's three largest dinosaurs.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 5 July 2025
Detractors might argue that lo-fi beats was always mercenary music engineered and optimized to hook sad bois with no taste, and good riddance.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercenary. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mercenary
1 of 2 noun
mer·ce·nary
ˈmərs-ᵊn-ˌer-ē
plural mercenaries
: one that serves only for wages
especially
: a soldier hired by a foreign country to fight in its army
mercenary
2 of 2 adjective1
: serving only for the pay or reward
mercenary armies
mercenary soldier
2
: greedy for money
mercenary business owners
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