nom de guerre

noun

plural noms de guerre ˌnäm(z)-di-ˈger How to pronounce nom de guerre (audio)

Example Sentences

an acerbic and provocative blogger known to most only by her online nom de guerre
Recent Examples on the Web Among the latter was 18-year-old Simone Segouin, who used the nom de guerre Nicole. Phil Davison, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023 Back in 2014, Chaudhry, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Huzayfah, allegedly emptied his bank account and traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State, which assigned him to a police unit tasked with enforcing its strict interpretation of sharia law. James Harkin, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021 During a tour of the group’s frontline positions, a military spokesman who went by the nom de guerre Abu Khalid al-Shami took reporters down a dirt staircase hidden in a bunker to a long, underground tunnel leading to a network of trenches and firing positions manned by fighters. New York Times, 6 Apr. 2021 Her name was Simone Segouin, but she was known by her nom de guerre, Nicole. Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2023 The reported death of Husam Abd al-Rauf, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Muhsin al-Masri, follows weeks of violence, including a suicide bombing by the Islamic State group Saturday at an education center near Kabul that killed 24 people. Star Tribune, 27 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nom de guerre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, war name

First Known Use

1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nom de guerre was in 1680

Dictionary Entries Near nom de guerre

Cite this Entry

“Nom de guerre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nom%20de%20guerre. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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