as in soldier
a person, group, or country that fights in a war or battle
Britain was a major combatant in World War II.
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Recent Examples of combatant
One of the largest warships in the fleet The Type 055 is the largest surface combatant currently operated by the Chinese Navy.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Mar. 2026
Israel did not directly fight as a combatant in the 2003 Iraq War.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
There was a tumultuous battle between the combatants but alas, the giant scorpion fatally bit Artemis’ boyfriend.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
Of course, military operations often have to be kept under wraps to protect combatants and keep enemies off the scent.
—Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Mar. 2026
Israel did not directly fight as a combatant in the 2003 Iraq War.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
There was a tumultuous battle between the combatants but alas, the giant scorpion fatally bit Artemis’ boyfriend.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
Of course, military operations often have to be kept under wraps to protect combatants and keep enemies off the scent.
—Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combatant
Noun
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Australian law defines war crime murder as the intentional killing in a context of armed conflict of a person who is not taking an active part in the hostilities, such as a civilian, prisoner of war or a wounded soldier.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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But Israel's military told them explicitly not to, and Lebanese army vehicles were still blocking the path to some southern areas on Friday, the BBC reported, including the entrance to Khiam, which is still occupied by Israeli soldiers.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Tokyo is also developing a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy for deployment in the mid-2030s, part of a strategy to share development costs and gain access to new technology.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
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Northrop Grumman’s shares F/A-XX design clues The F/A-XX program calls for a sixth-generation fighter to succeed the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and complement the F-35C Lightning II.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mortal Kombat 2 will focus on the Mortal Kombat tournament, the big battle in which warriors from different realms face off against one another in a fight to the bloody finish.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Cheek plates depict a warrior about to kill a sacrificial ram.—
Ryan Brennan
April 10,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Three Georgia State Patrol troopers and their supervisor were fired from the department after an investigation revealed a scheme where officers used insurance claims to profit off of vehicle chases, an internal report concluded.—
Asia Simone Burns,
AJC.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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Police also handed out 100 traffic citations over the three-day span, with 49 issued by Tybee Island officers and 51 by state troopers.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combatant. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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