soldier
Americannoun
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a person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service.
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an enlisted person, as distinguished from a commissioned officer.
the soldiers' mess and the officers' mess.
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a person of military skill or experience.
George Washington was a great soldier.
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a person who contends or serves in any cause.
a soldier of the Lord.
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Also called button man. Slang. a low-ranking member of a crime organization or syndicate.
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Entomology.
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a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped female ants or termites specialized, as with powerful jaws, to defend the colony from invaders.
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a similar member of a caste of worker bees, specialized to protect the hive.
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a brick laid vertically with the narrower long face out.
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Informal. a person who avoids work or pretends to work; loafer; malingerer.
verb (used without object)
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to act or serve as a soldier.
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Informal. to loaf while pretending to work; malinger.
He was soldiering on the job.
verb phrase
noun
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a person who serves or has served in an army
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Also called: common soldier. a noncommissioned member of an army as opposed to a commissioned officer
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a person who works diligently for a cause
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a low-ranking member of the Mafia or other organized crime ring
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zoology
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an individual in a colony of social insects, esp ants, that has powerful jaws adapted for defending the colony, crushing large food particles, etc
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( as modifier )
soldier ant
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informal a strip of bread or toast that is dipped into a soft-boiled egg
verb
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to serve as a soldier
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obsolete to malinger or shirk
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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soldiersimple
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soldierssimple
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have soldieredperfect
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has soldieredperfect
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am soldieringprogressive
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are soldieringprogressive
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is soldieringprogressive
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have been soldieringperfect progressive
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has been soldieringperfect progressive
Past
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soldieredsimple
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had soldieredperfect
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was soldieringprogressive
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were soldieringprogressive
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had been soldieringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of soldier
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English souldiour, from Old French soudier, so(i)dier, equivalent to soulde “pay” (from Latin solidus; see sol 2) + -ier -ier 2
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing soldier
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Occupations
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another soldier in Izium, nicknamed "Ananas", also told AFP he was pleased to see the back of Syrsky, who was known for military success but also developed a reputation for not caring about losses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“We have come a long way, the defense of Ukraine continues, and every soldier deserves to be treated with respect,” Zelensky said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Nolan reinvents him as a naive young soldier left outside the horse to sell Odysseus’ deception.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"As soon as I can, I'm going to welcome our champions," said Jose Marquez, a 37-year-old soldier whose workplace is near the parade route.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
One German soldier called the day’s battle “an amazing spectacle of unexampled gallantry, courage and bull-dog determination on both sides.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Drapatiy’s selection as Syrskiy’s replacement was applauded by rank-and-file soldiers and senior military officials, who cited his aversion to bureaucratic malaise and preference for direct contact with officers on all levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Before being dismissed, Syrskiy said he had elevated innovative young soldiers to top positions and that some changes to the military were the purview of the defense ministry, not his staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In 1990 – the army had 153,000 regular soldiers.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
But it is debatable how many human soldiers you need these days and Woodburn said a new era of autonomous lethal weaponry was close at hand.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
In the interview, she shares memories of Japanese soldiers, some of whom were kind to her.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“Even during the depths of Covid, those Hot Pockets soldiered on.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
But I gamely soldiered back into the sunlight and onto the pathways that line the National Mall, each ginger step kicking up dust.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Hulu may have wagered that “Killer of Killers” was too brutal for academy voters, but I kinda wish it had followed “KPop’s” lead and soldiered ahead with giving this streaming-only film a for-consideration theatrical release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
She could barely walk, but soldiered on with a smile for the photographers.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
The archaeological record shows that southern Yucatan was abandoned, while Maya cities in the northern part of the peninsula soldiered on or even grew.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
As the sensitive, flute-playing heir of the boorish, beer-swilling Frederick William I, the young prince had scant interest in soldiering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
That is not the case in the United States anymore, but our financial markets had been soldiering on anyway.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2025
With talent up and down the roster, the No. 7 Trojans have proven themselves capable of soldiering on without their star at her best.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2025
It suits her gift of soldiering through awkward situations with unflappable deadpan.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
Let me tell you, soldiering is a lot more glamorous from the other side of the uniform!
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
