as in soldiers
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 combatants
The bitter standoff has been the most high-profile of the year, given the scale of the combatants and the timing of it in the middle of football season.
—
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
But despite the lack of Fall Classic combatants, there were plenty of intriguing elements to the awards, which honored 20 players from the National and American leagues.
—Alex Valdes, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Above the surface, the navy has 122 surface combatants, which include 11 aircraft carriers, 11 cruisers and 74 destroyers.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Across the world, for all military battles where such data is available, the average army kills nine enemy non-combatants for every fighter killed.
—Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Under the law, unarmed combatants held in military custody are allowed to protest their detention in court.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2025
The combatants supposedly have a $2 million side bet.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
In Israel's ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
But despite the lack of Fall Classic combatants, there were plenty of intriguing elements to the awards, which honored 20 players from the National and American leagues.
—Alex Valdes, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Above the surface, the navy has 122 surface combatants, which include 11 aircraft carriers, 11 cruisers and 74 destroyers.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Across the world, for all military battles where such data is available, the average army kills nine enemy non-combatants for every fighter killed.
—Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Under the law, unarmed combatants held in military custody are allowed to protest their detention in court.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2025
The combatants supposedly have a $2 million side bet.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
In Israel's ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combatants
Noun
-
The most recent border flare-up came after five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion, with the incident prompting Thailand to downgrade diplomatic relations with its neighbor.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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In a statement, the Army said that Livelsberger had access to and used a program that provides physical, cognitive and medical care to soldiers.—
Tonya Simpson,
ABC News,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
State troopers were on scene while the power lines were cleared from the roadway.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
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But the troopers’ senses told them a different story.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
At the time, White had been a Vegas gym owner and managed fighters like Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh, along with other alleged co-conspirators, agreed to travel to Turkey in November and join ISIS as fighters, according to the federal complaint.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Handpicked by the expert Vogue team, the collection will satisfy even the most discerning of skincare savants, wellness warriors, makeup maestros, hair aficionados and jewelry junkies.—
Ellie Davis,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Most commonsense Americans understand that there is no reason paying America's warriors should be held hostage to arcane debates over housing policy.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combatants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combatants. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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