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
- precombatant noun
- uncombatant adjective
Etymology
Origin of combatant
1425–75; late Middle English combataunt < Middle French combatant. See combat, -ant
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.
Hurt’s Lovborg is an ideal theatrical combatant for Holmes’ Hedda.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
“They’re incredibly valuable. Every single combatant commander wants more.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026
“At the end of the day, the government is going to go with systems that have been deployed, where combatant commanders swear by the fact that they want one of what we have,” Mengucci said.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
“If the aircraft flying above is not identifiable as a combatant aircraft, it should not be engaged in combatant activity.”
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026
In the capital cities of all the combatant nations, the outbreak of war was greeted with emotional displays of patriotism.
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.
