mercenary

play

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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See mercenary defined for kids

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

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

Recent Examples of mercenary from the Web

Some said their only work option was to take mercenary work in other war zones, such as Syria.

— christopher miller, The Atlantic, "How Russia Treats Its Ukraine Veterans," 20 Aug. 2017
And hiring them as a mercenary army — wholly apart from the Pentagon — violates everything America stands for.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Trump would be bonkers to listen to Blackwater founder's plan to use mercenaries in Afghanistan| Trudy Rubin," 18 Aug. 2017
Of course, few people outside of Prince's orbit seem enthusiastic for a mercenary war.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "Mercenaries aren’t a solution to Afghanistan’s forever war," 9 Aug. 2017
That means the lodges need to bring more animals closer to their property, so some owners lay out food to lure great cats and herbivores within viewing distance and have hired mercenary armies to protect the animals.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "Kruger Park, South Africa: Where Black Poachers Are Hunted as Much as Their Prey," 8 Aug. 2017
Mija, unlike her mercenary grandfather, was kept in the dark about Mirando’s machinations.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Okja' is a muddled parable that mashes together many genres," 28 June 2017
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.

— david d. kirkpatrick and sheera frenkel, New York Times, "Hacking in Qatar Highlights a Shift Toward Espionage-for-Hire," 8 June 2017
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.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Let the budget machinations begin," 1 June 2017
Martin’s fine study of cultural diplomacy reminds us that ideas are mercenary creatures, always available to serve new masters.

— ian beacock, New Republic, "How the Nazis Made Art Fascist," 23 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of mercenary

see ¹mercenary

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1532

See Words from the same year

mercenary Synonyms

Synonyms

acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, grabby, grasping, greedy, moneygrubbing, rapacious

Near Antonyms

nonmaterialistic; altruistic, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, greathearted, handsome, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, openhanded, openhearted, selfless, unselfish, unsparing; controlled, moderate, restrained, temperate; content, sated, satisfied

Other Military Terms

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

MERCENARY Defined for English Language Learners

mercenary

play

noun

Definition of mercenary for English Language Learners

: 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

adjective

Definition of mercenary for English Language Learners

: hired to fight
: caring only about making money

MERCENARY Defined for Kids

mercenary

play

noun mer·ce·nary \ ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē \

Definition of mercenary for Students

plural mercenaries

:a soldier paid by a foreign country to fight in its army

mercenary

adjective

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

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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Origin and Etymology of mercenary

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mercenary

Definition of mercenary

mercenarily

mercenariness

Examples of mercenary in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of mercenary

mercenary Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Military Terms

MERCENARY Defined for English Language Learners

mercenary

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mercenary

Definition of mercenary for English Language Learners

MERCENARY Defined for Kids

mercenary

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mercenary

Definition of mercenary for Students

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