combatant

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

/ kəmˈbæt nt, ˈkɒm bə tənt, ˈkʌm- /

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See synonyms for: combatant / combatants 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.

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use combatant in a sentence

But brotherly love among enemy combatants was not something that the high command encouraged.
Royals Remember The Christmas Truce of 1914|Tom Sykes|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We faced these issues of combatants without insignia in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.
Shocked by Ukraine Violence, NATO Prepares to Face Down Putin|Leo Cendrowicz|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lt. Commander Kevin Bogucki is a Navy JAG officer serving as defense counsel for enemy combatants detained at Guantanamo.
A Navy Lawyer Cries Foul on Gitmo’s Kafkaesque Legal System|Eleanor Clift|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads,” the post reads.
Israeli Politician Declares ‘War’ on ‘the Palestinian People’|Gideon Resnick|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Both combatants wanted the same thing; to keep Arya Stark safe.
Best ‘Game of Thrones’ Season Yet|Andrew Romano|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The battle raged for three hours, the combatants being finally within fifty yards of each other.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Groups of hundreds of non-combatants were hurrying off from the beleaguered insurgent capital.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The prolonged and doubtful struggle naturally wearied out the patience of the non-combatants behind Gillies Hill.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
In the bows of each boat was a kind of ladder or steps, on which stood one of the combatants with a pole.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The non-combatants retired behind the hill in the rear, afterwards named from them the Gillies' (that is, Servants') Hill.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison

British Dictionary definitions for combatant

combatant

/ (ˈkɒmbətənt, ˈkʌm-) /

noun

a person or group engaged in or prepared for a fight, struggle, or dispute

adjective

engaged in or ready for combat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

combatant

Origin of combatant

OTHER WORDS FROM combatant

Words related to combatant

How to use combatant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for combatant