cavalry
Americannoun
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Military.
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the part of a military force composed of troops that serve on horseback.
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mounted soldiers collectively.
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the motorized, armored units of a military force organized for maximum mobility.
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horsemen, horses, etc., collectively.
noun
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(esp formerly) the part of an army composed of mounted troops
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the armoured element of a modern army
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( as modifier )
a cavalry unit
a cavalry charge
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cavalry
1585–95; syncopated variant of cavallery < Italian cavalleria, derivative of cavaliere cavalier
Explanation
A cavalry is a group of soldiers who fight on horses. Cavalry can also refer to any military unit that is quick and mobile. If a general said, "Send in the cavalry!" you can be sure a group of soldiers are being called upon. The only question is whether the cavalry is the traditional sort or if the word is being used more loosely. Traditionally, a cavalry is a unit of troops on horseback. When horses were a primary means of transportation, cavalries were a common part of war. Since then, a cavalry might be any unit of soldiers that can be quickly deployed.
Vocabulary lists containing cavalry
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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The American Civil War
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"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh"
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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.
Scott McTominay was at the heart of an intelligent first-half performance before the 4-0 lead and the cavalry coming off the bench made it a bit ragged.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
It bet the cavalry would arrive, every 12 months, for 36 months straight.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Mr. Gallagher served as an armored cavalry officer in Iraq and is the author of “Daybreak,” a novel about the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
A wannabe cavalry unit, anchored in the center by an agent on a white horse, swept through a soccer field where children were attending day camp just minutes before.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
And the stalemate on the Western Front, with entrenched armies dug in and facing each other across no man’s land, made the cavalry almost useless.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
