noun
adjective
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of combatant
1425–75; late Middle English combataunt < Middle French combatant. See combat, -ant
Explanation
Someone who fights, especially in a war, is a combatant. Sometimes entire countries are described as combatants during military conflicts. Other names for a combatant are "fighter," "attacker," or "soldier." News stories are more likely to use this word to describe an adversary or enemy: "Enemy combatants ignored the cease fire." When they're talking about their own country's fighters, they might say "troops" or "soldiers." Combatant comes from the Old French combatant, "skilled at fighting" or "warlike."
Vocabulary lists containing combatant
World War I
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Novel Study: Tangerine, Prologue–Thursday, November 2
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Ugly
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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.
In his most draconian move yet, the Pentagon polygraphed some 50 high-ranking military officers and civilian officials on the Joint Staff, which coordinates operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders worldwide.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
"We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the US military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
"We can't know which combatant came out on top of that fight, but the healing tells us that, winner or loser, this animal survived the encounter."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026
Many MPs believe that Badenoch has for some months now been an impressive combatant at Prime Minister's Questions, her weekly joust with the prime minister.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
At Blackcliff we learn to classify people: civilian, combatant, enemy, ally, informer, defector.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
