combatants

noun

plural of combatant
as in soldiers
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 combatants They were controlled by two sets of levers, with plastic buttons that made the combatants throw left jabs and right uppercuts. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026 But combatants in the subcontinent were unaware of the initial truce that had been made in the West, and dozens more battles took place around the world. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 2 July 2026 Also known as a truce, such an agreement is commonly understood to be a period between war and peace, in which the combatants agree to pause fighting while negotiations take place. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 The rules called for the combatants to square off with just eight paces between them — rather than the 20 or 30 paces typical of the time — and both men hit their targets. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 30 June 2026 Advertisement The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that over 1,700 Hezbollah combatants died during operations in Lebanon. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 June 2026 But the combatants kept grasping and tugging each other off-balance. — Bob Brody, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026 The combatants have now renewed their fragile truce, which has repeatedly threatened US-Iran negotiations. — Caitlin Danaher, CNN Money, 20 June 2026 The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. — Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combatants
  1. soldiers
  2. troopers
  3. fighters
  4. warriors
Noun
  • In a victory march across the makeshift bridge, the soldiers transported 140 Carthaginian elephants from Sicily to Rome’s Circus Maximus, according to the first-century historian Pliny the Elder.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • All the gold is gone, and there’s barely enough to pay her soldiers, let alone throw a lavish coronation.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of soldiers
Noun
  • During the holiday weekend in 2025, troopers responded to 5,110 calls for service, 528 traffic services, 1,219 traffic stops, 29 DUIs and 330 motor vehicle crashes, 35 with injuries and three with fatal injuries in Southbury and Prospect.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 4 July 2026
  • When the vehicle sped away instead, the troopers pursued the Dodge.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Definition of troopers
Noun
  • According to the latest indictment, federal prosecutors allege that Paez enforces the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations in Sinaloa and Tijuana using armed fighters and hit men to carry out murders, kidnappings and other violent activity.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Across the country, insurgent candidates-—-perhaps most notably Zohran Mamdani in New York City—have found traction by presenting themselves as unapologetic fighters willing to challenge both Republicans and their own party’s leadership.
    — Nik Popli, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of fighters
Noun
  • And perhaps the most famous statues in that distinctive style that Latchford stole from Koh Ker were nine stone warriors once arranged together in a battle scene.
    — Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • Uzbek fans have reveled in the chance to showcase their country and culture, staying behind long after the matches ended to pose for photos as steppe warriors, give away the country's ubiquitous embroidered duppy skullcaps, or just joyously dance to drums.
    — Charles Maynes, NPR, 27 June 2026
Definition of warriors

Browse Nearby Words

combatant
combatants
combated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Combatants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combatants. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on combatants

Nglish: Translation of combatants for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All