as in soldier
a person, group, or country that fights in a war or battle
Britain was a major combatant in World War II.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of combatant
Growing evidence shows regional powers like the United Arab Emirates backing combatants behind the scenes.
—
Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The footage featured a massive robot fighting what appeared to be another massive robot, though the second combatant could have been an alien or a mechanical monster, or something.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Apr. 2026
The Evil Dead is of course the horror comedy franchise created by Raimi, going back to 1981’s same-name film starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, a combatant of various supernatural entities.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
Growing evidence shows regional powers like the United Arab Emirates backing combatants behind the scenes.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The footage featured a massive robot fighting what appeared to be another massive robot, though the second combatant could have been an alien or a mechanical monster, or something.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Apr. 2026
The Evil Dead is of course the horror comedy franchise created by Raimi, going back to 1981’s same-name film starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, a combatant of various supernatural entities.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
Growing evidence shows regional powers like the United Arab Emirates backing combatants behind the scenes.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combatant
Noun
-
In a 1916 study, Navy soldiers seemed to better learn Morse code when it was played overnight.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
Ryan shot back, quoting a soldier from the CBS report, that telling the truth is important.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
State-of-the-art drones, and the technology needed to intercept them, have become as important to national weapons arsenals as missiles, Patriot systems, fighter jets, and warships.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The teens were also said to have been involved in online groups recruiting fighters for IS militants in Syria and shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, LGBTQ+ people and others, officials said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sonja Shaw, 43, the school board president of Chino Valley Unified, has achieved a public profile as a MAGA culture warrior.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
From exile in Amsterdam, filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi reflects on his family nickname, Paikar, the Persian word for warrior.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Because the incident spanned two jurisdictions, Pennsylvania State Police troopers from the Butler barracks have been called to take over the investigation.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The trooper’s unmarked cruiser crossed a double yellow line in Woburn and struck Schettino’s vehicle.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combatant. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
