veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈve-tə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

a

: a former member of the armed forces

b

: an old soldier of long service

2

: a person of long experience usually in some occupation or skill (such as politics or the arts)

veteran adjective

Synonyms of veteran

• vet
• expert
• professional
• master
• warhorse

Examples of veteran in a Sentence

a veteran of the political scene

He's a 10-year veteran with the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

That was enough to chase Hyun-jin Ryu, the 38-year-old and former 10-year MLB veteran. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2026

The qualifiers include a game streamer, a singer-songwriter and a tech entrepreneur, as well as government veterans like Asaad Alnajjar, a longtime engineer for the city. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026

Lastly, Vlachos had submitted a proposal to JobsOhio, the Ohio State president's office and others for a mobile job-search app for Ohio veterans, according to JobsOhio social media posts. —Julie Carr Smyth The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026

The Miami veteran scored 21 points and had eight rebounds, making six of 20 shot attempts. —Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long experience, from veter-, vetus old — more at wether

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈvet-ə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

: a person who has had long experience (as in politics or the arts)

2

: a former member of the armed forces especially during wartime

veteran adjective