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
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Examples of mercenary in a sentence
an army of foreign mercenaries
Origin and Etymology of mercenary
Middle English, from Latin mercenarius, irregular from merced-, merces wages — more at mercy
First Known Use: 14th century
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
Origin and Etymology of mercenary
see 1mercenary
First Known Use: 1532
MERCENARY Defined for English Language Learners
Definition 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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