veteran

[ vet-er-uhn, ve-truhn ]
See synonyms for: veteranveterans on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, office, or the like: a veteran of the police force; a veteran of many sports competitions.

  2. a person who has served in a military force, especially one who has fought in a war: a Vietnam veteran.

adjective
  1. (of soldiers) having had service or experience in warfare: veteran troops.

  2. experienced through long service or practice; having served for a long period: a veteran member of Congress.

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of veterans.

Origin of veteran

1
First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin veterānus “mature, experienced,” from veter- (stem of vetus ) “old” + -ānus -an

Other words from veteran

  • non·vet·er·an, noun

Words Nearby veteran

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use veteran in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for veteran

veteran

/ (ˈvɛtərən, ˈvɛtrən) /


noun
    • a person or thing that has given long service in some capacity

    • (as modifier): veteran firemen

    • a soldier who has seen considerable active service

    • (as modifier): veteran soldier

  1. US and Canadian a person who has served in the military forces

Origin of veteran

1
C16: from Latin veterānus, from vetus old

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