soldier

play

noun sol·dier \ˈsōl-jər\

Definition of soldier

1a : one engaged in military service and especially in the armyb : an enlisted man or womanc : a skilled warrior
2 : a militant leader, follower, or worker
3a : one of a caste of wingless sterile termites usually differing from workers in larger size and head and long jawsb : one of a type of worker ants distinguished by exceptionally large head and jaws
4\ˈsō-jər, ˈsōl-\ : one who shirks work

soldierly

play \ˈsōl-jər-lē\ adjective or adverb

soldiership

play \ˈsōl-jər-ˌship\ noun

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See soldier defined for kids

Examples of soldier in a Sentence

Many soldiers were wounded in combat.
one of the goals of war is to keep as many soldiers as possible from being killed

Recent Examples of soldier from the Web

In some areas, soldiers have treated sick residents, helped with food handouts and repaired wells.

— dionne searcey, New York Times, "‘They Told Us They Were Here to Help Us.’ Then Came Slaughter.", 28 Feb. 2017
That’s about it, plus striking locations (the Rainbow Mountains), digital wizardry and battles between hordes of critters (called Tao Tei) and legions of soldiers.

— manohla dargis, New York Times, "Review: Matt Damon Battles Clusters of Monsters in ‘The Great Wall’", 16 Feb. 2017
Any sense of normalcy on Saturday afternoon was shredded, again, when Iraqi soldiers began opening fire, their rifle barrels aimed at a white object in the bright blue sky.

— david zucchino, New York Times, "In Eastern Mosul, Liberated From ISIS, Battle Rages ‘Day and Night’", 14 Feb. 2017
In 2006, also on Feb. 1, Israeli police demolished nine homes at Amona, setting off violent clashes pitting settlers and their supporters against police and soldiers.

— associated press, latimes.com, "Israeli forces begin evacuation of West Bank outpost", 1 Feb. 2017
Alexandrowka is a cluster of wooden cabins bedecked with Slavic folk carvings and was assembled in 1826 by Frederick William III, grandnephew of Frederick the Great, as a colony for Russian soldiers.

— giulia pines, CNT, "Why a Visit to Berlin Should Include a Day Trip to Potsdam", 20 Jan. 2017
President Alassane Ouattara said late in the day that the government had reached an agreement with disgruntled soldiers who had demanded higher salaries and better living conditions.

— loucoumane coulibaly and sean lyngaas, New York Times, "Ivory Coast President Says Government Reaches Deal With Soldiers to End Uprising", 7 Jan. 2017
An article on Saturday about Canadian soldiers from the 228th Overseas Battalion who played professional hockey during World War I misidentified the championship the Montreal Canadiens won in 1917.

— New York Times, "Corrections: January 5, 2017", 5 Jan. 2017
In one, a porcine businessman holds out a medal to a legless soldier dragging himself across a floor.

— holland cotter, New York Times, "World War I — The Quick. The Dead. The Artists.", 5 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'soldier'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of soldier

Middle English soudeour, from Anglo-French soudeer, soudeour mercenary, from soudee shilling's worth, wage, from sou, soud shilling, from Late Latin solidus solidus

NEW!

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

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

soldier

verb sol·dier

Definition of soldier

soldiered

;

soldiering

play \ˈsōl-jə-riŋ, ˈsōlj-riŋ\

intransitive verb
1a : to serve as a soldierb : to behave in a soldierly mannerc : to push doggedly forward —usually used with on soldiered on to the end
2 : to make a pretense of working while really loafing