soldier of fortune
Americannoun
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a person who independently seeks pleasure, wealth, etc., through adventurous exploits.
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a military adventurer, ready to serve anywhere for pay or for pleasure.
noun
Etymology
Origin of soldier of fortune
First recorded in 1655–65
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.
In 2003, a soldier of fortune pursues enigmatic gambler Stanley Glass through ersatz Venetian canals of Las Vegas, only to stumble upon a curious book titled “The Mirror Thief.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2021
In May 2013, court papers say, Joseph Hunter, a soldier of fortune, got an email from his boss.
From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2015
Also seeking the Republican Senate nomination were self-described soldier of fortune Thomas Bleming of Lusk, oil company worker Arthur Bruce Clifton of Cheyenne and James Gregory of Jackson.
From Washington Times • Aug. 19, 2014
Instead, we are left only with this representative Englishman who’s a boastful and obnoxious soldier of fortune.
From Washington Post • Jan. 19, 2012
Pedro Valdez was a soldier of fortune serving with Cortez in Mexico and with De Soto in Florida.
From Quick Action by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
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.
