combatant

noun

Definition of combatantnext
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 Major combatants The three major belligerents in the Rhodesian Bush War were the Rhodesian security forces, ZANLA, and ZIPRA. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 The main combatants are Ethiopian federal troops and fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, an armed political group in Tigray, Ethiopia's northernmost regional state. — Samuel Getachew, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026 The main combatants are Ethiopian federal troops and fighters loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, an armed political group in Tigray, Ethiopia's northernmost regional state. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 And when the combatants’ political end goals are too muddy or maximalist, imposing costs indefinitely can seem like the only alternative to capitulation. — Nadia Schadlow, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for combatant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combatant
  1. soldier
  2. fighter
  3. warrior
  4. trooper
Noun
  • By transporting supplies, supporting reconnaissance activities, and assisting with casualty evacuation, unmanned ground vehicles can potentially reduce soldiers’ physical workload while extending their operational reach.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • One priority for Army planners is protecting the identities of soldiers selected to carry out the execution, one official described.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of soldier
Noun
  • Its design supports an air group of up to around 40 aircraft, including F-35B fighters and helicopters, depending on the operational configuration.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This reboot, directed by Kitao Sakurai and starring Noah Centineo and Andrew Koji, takes place in 1993 as two estranged fighters are recruited to enter a tournament that forces them to face off against each other.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fighter
Noun
  • Open social media and a million keyboard warriors are waging war.
    — Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Receiving the rose was a public acknowledgment that the recipient – usually a warrior – stood beside the pope in protecting the church.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • The governor said the state's Highway Patrol had more than 300 troopers ready to assist with evacuations, emergency response and recovery operations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, an MSP trooper was sitting in his patrol car nearby with his emergency lights activated and was able to respond to the crash quickly.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of trooper

Browse Nearby Words

combat
combatant
combatants
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combatant. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All