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leatherneck

American  
[leth-er-nek] / ˈlɛð ərˌnɛk /

noun

Slang.
  1. a U.S. marine.


leatherneck British  
/ ˈlɛðəˌnɛk /

noun

  1. slang a member of the US Marine Corps

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of leatherneck

First recorded in 1910–15; from the leather-lined collar which was formerly part of the uniform


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:

John Wilcher runs the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, not the Marine Corps, but he should borrow from the leatherneck recruiting pitch with one slight change.

From Washington Times ● May 24, 2018

In a rare departure from form, he took a supporting role as a leatherneck in the 1960 World War II drama “Hell to Eternity,” co-starring Jeffrey Hunter and David Janssen.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 2018

As Gomer, a leatherneck Pfc, he wears a gee-whiz expression, spouts homilies out of a lopsided mouth and lopes around uncertainly like a plowboy stepping through a field of cow dung.

From Time Magazine Archive

"That's like being allowed to leave the state prison to go to the county jail," snorts one leatherneck.

From Time Magazine Archive

Again looking into the mirror, Bull said, “Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the toughest leatherneck of all?”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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