combatant

[ kuhm-bat-nt, kom-buh-tuhnt, kuhm- ]

/ kəmˈbæt nt, ˈkɒm bə tənt, ˈkʌm- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for combatant on Thesaurus.com

noun

a nation engaged in active fighting with enemy forces.

a person or group that fights.

adjective

combating; fighting: the combatant armies.

disposed to combat; combative.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Origin of combatant

1425–75; late Middle English combataunt<Middle French combatant.See combat, -ant

OTHER WORDS FROM combatant

pre·com·bat·ant, nounun·com·bat·ant, adjective

Words nearby combatant

comatulid, Comayagua, comb, Combahee, combat, combatant, combat boot, combat fatigue, Combat Infantryman Badge, combative, combat jacket

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

VOCAB BUILDER

What does combatant mean?

A combatant is one of the sides engaged in combat—active fighting.

In war, enemy combatants are the opposing sides in the war or battle.

In boxing and other martial arts, the two fighters can be called combatants.

The word combat is sometimes used more broadly or figuratively to refer to active conflict between two people or groups, as in The two corporations are preparing to do combat in the courtroom. The sides in this kind of combat can also be called combatants.

Less commonly, combatant can be used as an adjective meaning engaged in fighting. It can also mean inclined to fight, but the word combative is more commonly used in this way.

Example: If diplomacy fails, the two nations could become enemy combatants.

Where does combatant come from?

The first records of the word combatant come from the 1400s. It comes from the Late Latin combattere, from com-, meaning “with” or “together,” and the Latin verb battuere, meaning “to strike” or “to beat.” The word battle is based on this same root. The suffix -ant is used to form nouns.

Just like there can’t be a battle without at least two sides, a person or group really can’t be considered a combatant unless they are engaged in combat with another combatant. The word is most often associated with physical fighting. Even when the word is used in a figurative way, it often likens the sides in the conflict to physical fighters, implying that the conflict is an intense one.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to combatant?

combat (noun, verb)

What are some synonyms for combatant?

What are some words that share a root or word element with combatant?

combative

What are some words that often get used in discussing combatant?

How is combatant used in real life?

Combatant is most commonly used in a military context, but it can be used in many other contexts involving some kind of conflict.

"… motives included a desire to outscore other patrols in the number of enemy combatants killed, to clear at all costs the battlefield of people believed to be insurgents and to initiate new soldiers into a brotherhood of combat." #Afghanistan https://t.co/QIMBx52K4w

— Malachy Browne (@malachybrowne) November 19, 2020

Astonishing that @NYCMayor is on TV right now defending NYPD for treating peaceful protestors like enemy combatants this summer.

“It doesn’t sound right at all to me,” in response to this lawsuit. https://t.co/HKbIVNGWiC

— lauren vega (@lauxvega) October 26, 2020

Compatriots become combatants.#NRLBulldogsDragons kicks-off at 4pm!#NRL pic.twitter.com/HSSsFCdJE3

— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2015

Try using combatant!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of combatant?

A. adversary
B. ally
C. foe
D. fighter

Example sentences from the Web for combatant

Yet the book nonetheless ends with the American combatants looking back on the Pech Valley — and their war — with a little wistfulness.
American troops fought hard in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley. But why?|Andrew Exum|March 26, 2021|Washington Post
Each combatant will choose their weapons — be it a dagger, a shield, or a fork and knife — and whoever inflicts the most pain will be declared the winner.
On Discord, bots find a foothold as mini indie success stories|Luke Winkie|March 25, 2021|Washington Post
They don’t need to send armed combatants to the United States.
Are we better off than we were four years ago?|cleaf2013|October 17, 2020|Fortune
But Broyles is too good here, and admits that women too feel the pull of war by being exposed to it, even as a non-combatant.
War Is Hell and Such Good Fun|Don Gomez|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is immaterial if the infidel is a combatant or a civilian.
The CIA’s Wrong: Arming Rebels Works|Christopher Dickey|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was captured by Afghans responding to leaflets distributed by the U.S. promising $5,000 per combatant.
A Navy Lawyer Cries Foul on Gitmo’s Kafkaesque Legal System|Eleanor Clift|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of most interest are the English-speaking narrator and a masked American-accented combatant featured in the film.
How ISIS Ripped Off ‘Natural Born Killers'|Jamie Dettmer|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both my combatant and I claimed that the other was at fault.
Ben Carson Was a Role Model for Black Teens Until He Sold Out to the Right|Joshua DuBois|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The boats were then pulled close to one another, and each combatant endeavoured to push his antagonist into the water.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
In one minute from the signal for retreat the top of the hill did not contain a single painted combatant.
Overland|John William De Forest
General Lee simply said the town was non-combatant; that he would not occupy it, nor would he allow any one else to occupy it.
Historic Fredericksburg|John T. Goolrick
As a combatant, a warrior, a reformer, his person and character somewhat change.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI|John Lord
How strange that such an encounter did take place sooner than either white or red combatant dreamed!
The Phantom of the River|Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for combatant

combatant

/ (ˈkɒmbətənt, ˈkʌm-) /