soldier
Other forms: soldiers; soldiering; soldiered
In a war, soldiers are the people who do the fighting, on the ground, in planes, or from boats. Soldier is also a verb that means to serve in the military, or to continue on through difficult times.
What is an army without soldiers? It’s a bunch of guns on the ground. A soldier is the man or woman who fights for their government and carries the weapons, risking their life in the process. The word comes from the Latin solidus, which is the name of the gold coin used to pay soldiers who fought in the Roman army. To “soldier on” means to not give up even when life is tough, like soldiering on through difficult vocabulary.
Definitions of soldier
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an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army“the soldiers stood at attention”
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examples:
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Ethan Allen
a soldier of the American Revolution whose troops helped capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British (1738-1789)
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Chevalier de Bayard
French soldier said to be fearless and chivalrous (1473-1524)
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Cesare Borgia
Italian cardinal and military leader; model for Machiavelli's prince (1475-1507)
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Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac
a French soldier and dramatist remembered chiefly for fighting many duels (often over the size of his nose); was immortalized in 1897 in a play by Edmond Rostand (1619-1655)
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Thomas Wentworth Storrow Higginson
United States writer and soldier who led the first Black regiment in the Union Army (1823-1911)
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Tadeusz Andrzej Bonawentura Kosciuszko
Polish patriot and soldier who fought with Americans in the American Revolution (1746-1817)
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Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier
French soldier who served under George Washington in the American Revolution (1757-1834)
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Thomas Edward Lawrence
Welsh soldier who from 1916 to 1918 organized the Arab revolt against the Turks; he later wrote an account of his adventures (1888-1935)
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Lighthorse Harry Lee
soldier of the American Revolution (1756-1818)
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Mohammed Ali
Albanian soldier in the service of Turkey who was made viceroy of Egypt and took control away from the Ottoman Empire and established Egypt as a modern state (1769-1849)
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Daniel Morgan
soldier in the American Revolution who defeated the British in the battle of Cowpens, South Carolina (1736-1802)
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Sir Henry Percy
English soldier killed in a rebellion against Henry IV (1364-1403)
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Juan Domingo Peron
Argentine soldier who became president of Argentina (1895-1974)
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Jan Christian Smuts
South African statesman and soldier (1870-1950)
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Tancred
Norman leader in the First Crusade who played an important role in the capture of Jerusalem (1078-1112)
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types:
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Gurkha
a member of the Nepalese force that has been part of the British army for 200 years; known for fierceness in combat
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Anzac
a soldier in the Australian and New Zealand army corps during World War I
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cannon fodder, fodder, fresh fish
soldiers who are regarded as expendable in the face of artillery fire
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cavalryman, trooper
a soldier mounted on horseback
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cavalryman, trooper
a soldier in a motorized army unit
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color bearer, standard-bearer
the soldier who carries the standard of the unit in military parades or in battle
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Confederate soldier
a soldier in the Army of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
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lobsterback, redcoat
British soldier; so-called because of his red coat (especially during the American Revolution)
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flanker
a soldier who is a member of a detachment assigned to guard the flanks of a military formation
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goldbrick
a soldier who performs his duties without proper care or effort
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Green Beret
a soldier who is a member of the United States Army Special Forces
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guardsman
a soldier who is a member of a unit called `the guard' or `guards'
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Highlander
a soldier in a Scottish regiment from the Highlands
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foot soldier, footslogger, infantryman, marcher
fights on foot with small arms
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Janissary, janissary
a Turkish soldier
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jawan
(India) a private soldier or male constable
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legionary, legionnaire
a soldier who is a member of a legion (especially the French Foreign Legion)
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man-at-arms
a heavily armed and mounted soldier in medieval times
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marine
a soldier who serves both on shipboard and on land
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militiaman
a member of the militia; serves only during emergencies
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orderly
a soldier who serves as an attendant to a superior officer
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para, paratrooper
a soldier in the paratroops
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peacekeeper
a member of a military force that is assigned (often with international sanction) to preserve peace in a trouble area
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pistoleer
someone armed with a pistol (especially a soldier so armed)
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poilu
a French soldier (especially in World War I)
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point man
a soldier who goes ahead of a patrol
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ranker
an enlisted soldier who serves in the ranks of the armed forces
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regular
a soldier in the regular army
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reservist
a member of a military reserve
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rifleman
a soldier whose weapon is a rifle
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Section Eight
a soldier who received a Section Eight discharge as unfit for military service
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tank driver, tanker
a soldier who drives a tank
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territorial
nonprofessional soldier member of a territorial military unit
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Unknown Soldier
an unidentified soldier whose body is honored as a memorial
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Wac
a member of the Women's Army Corps
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Uriah
(Old Testament) the husband of Bathsheba and a soldier who was sent to die in battle so that king David could marry his wife (circa 10th century BC)
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sepoy
a native Indian soldier serving under the army of Britain or another European power
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auxiliary
a soldier, especially a foreign soldier, who is not part of a nation’s regular army
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bushwhacker
a Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War
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carabineer, carabinier, carbineer
a soldier (historically a mounted soldier) who is armed with a carbine
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cuirassier
a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass
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dragoon
a member of a European military unit formerly composed of heavily armed cavalrymen
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fusilier
(formerly) a British infantryman armed with a light flintlock musket
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grenade thrower, grenadier
an infantryman equipped with grenades
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hussar
a member of a European light cavalry unit; renowned for elegant dress
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doughboy
an American infantryman in World War I
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lancer
(formerly) a cavalryman armed with a lance
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Minuteman
an American militiaman prior to and during the American Revolution
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musketeer
a foot soldier armed with a musket
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Rough Rider
a member of the volunteer cavalry regiment led by Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War (1898)
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Johnny, Johnny Reb, Reb, Rebel, greyback
`Johnny' was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; `greyback' derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
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trainbandsman
a member of a trainband
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Wave
a member of the women's reserve of the United States Navy; originally organized during World War II but now no longer a separate branch
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weekend warrior
a reservist who fulfills the military obligation on weekends
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type of:
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enlisted person
a serviceman who ranks below a commissioned officer
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serve as a soldier in the military
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a wingless sterile ant or termite having a large head and powerful jaws adapted for defending the colony
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type of:
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worker
sterile member of a colony of social insects that forages for food and cares for the larvae
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worker
Pronunciation
US
/ˈsoʊldʒər/
UK
/ˈsəʊldʒə/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘soldier'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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