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 1
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
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Then came reports from overseas that a large fleet, carrying British soldiers and Hessian mercenaries, was headed for America.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 May 2026
The recent series of events—none of which, on their face, are as dramatic as an armed uprising of mercenary fighters—has created a sense that the political system is at once tightly controlled and utterly rudderless.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
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Noun
Featuring alongside Bettany is James Spader, reprising his role as supervillain Ultron, as well as Todd Stashwick as Paladin, a morally gray mercenary who acts as an assassin targeting Vision’s technology, and Faran Tahir, who is once again playing Raza, the Ten Rings leader from 2008’s Iron Man.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Then came reports from overseas that a large fleet, carrying British soldiers and Hessian mercenaries, was headed for America.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Adjective
The plot is based around a routine jury site visit that turns deadly when a mercenary kill team led by Hewitt (Adkins) storms the location in search of a secret ledger detailing citywide corruption.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 May 2026
The recent series of events—none of which, on their face, are as dramatic as an armed uprising of mercenary fighters—has created a sense that the political system is at once tightly controlled and utterly rudderless.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
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 May. 2026.
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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