veteran
Americannoun
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veterans
plural
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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.
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a person who has served in a military force, especially one who has fought in a war.
a Vietnam veteran.
adjective
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(of soldiers) having had service or experience in warfare.
veteran troops.
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experienced through long service or practice; having served for a long period.
a veteran member of Congress.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of veterans.
noun
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a person or thing that has given long service in some capacity
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( as modifier )
veteran firemen
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a soldier who has seen considerable active service
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( as modifier )
veteran soldier
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a person who has served in the military forces
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See veteran car
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of veteran
First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin veterānus “mature, experienced,” from veter- (stem of vetus ) “old” + -ānus -an
Explanation
Veteran commonly refers to someone who has fought in a war––think Veterans' Day, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial––but, in fact, the word can mean anyone with experience in a particular field. Many veterans of World War II went to college afterward, through the G.I. Bill, and pursued professional careers. At the end of those careers, it was not unusual to find among the ranks of veteran teachers or veteran attorneys or veteran doctors men who were also veterans of the war.
Vocabulary lists containing veteran
Veterans Day Vocabulary
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November Words
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Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
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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:
A meltdown has already happened with lots of stocks having tumbled in value, according to Wall Street veteran Larry McDonald.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
“This is a special group,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said Thursday night in a solemn clubhouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s when veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández chimed in from the corner of the room with one more word to describe the two-time defending World Series champions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Pishko explains the story of Aaron Spencer, a 38-year-old Army veteran who was nearly put on trial for murdering a man but is now running for local sheriff.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
A veteran of old skirmishes, bearded, scarred across his cheek and the bone stoven and the one eye wandering.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
However, some Hollywood veterans point out that the industry has fought over technology before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
She also covered Texas veterans and the military, traveling to Iraq for the Chronicle, and documenting the stories of Houston’s Arab and Muslim refugee communities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
A statutory review of the measures for veterans to ensure they "deliver as intended"
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
On its website, it says it welcomes "above all" veterans of the Ukraine war and their families, as well as students and schoolchildren.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Scruggs went on to graduate school and put together a questionnaire for Vietnam veterans about their war experiences and their return home.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
