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 of veteran

• vet
• expert
• professional
• master
• 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

Last week, as part of a broader purge of veteran 60 Minutes staffers, the Free Press founder unceremoniously dumped veteran executive producer Tanya Simon and replaced her with Nick Bilton, a tech journalist turned documentary filmmaker who has zero broadcast-news experience. —Josef Adalian, Vulture, 3 June 2026

Paula Chesley teaches yoga at a clinic for people with eating disorders, including both service members and veterans. —Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 June 2026

Are a veteran, a person aged 24 or under who recently aged out of foster care, or an unhoused person. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Not only has 37-year network veteran Pelley been shown the door after questioning the intentions and qualifications of both Weiss and Bilton, but 60 Minutes alone lost Anderson Cooper at the end of the newsmagazine’s 58th season last month despite Weiss’ efforts to retain the CNN star. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 June 2026

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