mercenary

noun mer·ce·nary \ ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē , -ne-rē \

Definition of mercenary

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

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Examples of mercenary in a Sentence

an army of foreign mercenaries

Recent Examples of mercenary from the Web

Passetto di Borgo In 1527, as 35,000 soldiers and mercenaries charged into Rome, a Swiss Guard led Pope Clement VII into an 875-yard-long secret passage from the Vatican to the Castel Sant’Angelo, a heavily fortified keep.

— andrea bartz, Vogue, "Exactly How to Get Into Rome’s Most Beautiful Off-Limits Attractions," 17 Aug. 2017
So Prince’s plan is for the U.S. to turn the war over to mercenaries (perhaps, say, Academi) and to appoint a viceroy (perhaps, say, Erik Prince) to run the war.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Are Mercenaries Really a Cheaper Way of War?," 9 Aug. 2017
Newport, pre-Revolution, was a major player in the colonies, and the White Horse Tavern quickly became the de facto meeting place for anyone of any importance, or notoriety—including Hessian mercenaries and pirates.

— david jefferys, CNT, "An Evening at the Oldest Bar in America," 3 Aug. 2017
Fearsome German mercenaries known as Hessians fought alongside the British.

— tim prudente, Washington Post, "Dig may settle mystery into lost grave of famed Maryland 400 soldiers," 15 July 2017
Fearsome German mercenaries known as Hessians fought alongside the British.

— tim prudente, Washington Post, "Dig may settle mystery into lost grave of famed Maryland 400 soldiers," 15 July 2017
Fearsome German mercenaries known as Hessians fought alongside the British.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Dig may settle mystery into lost grave of famed Maryland 400 soldiers," 14 July 2017
Anti-government militiamen from Sudan and Chad provide a pool of mercenaries for any armed group.

— hamza hendawi, The Seattle Times, "Militants find sanctuary in Libya’s wild south," 13 July 2017
The man is John McBurney (Colin Farrell), an Irish mercenary who has deserted his Union army post after a severe leg injury.

— justin chang, star-telegram.com, "The Civil War-set ‘The Beguiled’ patiently weaves an intoxicating spell," 28 June 2017

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

mercenary

adjective

Definition of mercenary

1 :serving merely for pay or sordid advantage :venal; also :greedy

2 :hired for service in the army of a foreign country

—

mercenarily

play \ˌmər-sə-ˈner-ə-lē, -ˈne-rə-\ adverb

—

mercenariness

play \ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē-nəs, -ˌne-rē-\ noun

See mercenary defined for English-language learners

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