veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈve-tə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

a

: a former member of the armed forces

b

: an old soldier of long service

2

: a person of long experience usually in some occupation or skill (such as politics or the arts)

veteran adjective

Synonyms

• doyen
• old hand
• old-timer
• stager
• vet
• warhorse

Examples of veteran in a Sentence

a veteran of the political scene

He's a 10-year veteran with the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

Weiss, the veteran of the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys and a slew of other live events, will also serve as director of the special. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2024

Inside the bank some 50 people had gathered for happy hour — including Frederick Dunson, the president of the Frankie Knuckles Foundation; Yaw Agyeman, one of the Black Monks, who performed with the musician Sharon Udoh; and the D.J. Celeste Alexander, a house-music veteran. —Siddhartha Mitter, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Morrison, a veteran of BBC Television and former CEO and creative director of independent production company Nevision, assumes her duties as DocFest board of trustees chair in June 2025, succeeding Alex Cooke. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2024

Bromberg, a veteran of the gaming industry, was appointed CEO on May 1. —Kif Leswing, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long experience, from veter-, vetus old — more at wether

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈvet-ə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

: a person who has had long experience (as in politics or the arts)

2

: a former member of the armed forces especially during wartime

veteran adjective