commando

[kuh-man-doh, -mahn-]

noun

plural

commandos, commandoes 

1. (inWorld War II )

   1. any of the specially trained Allied military units used for surprise, hit-and-run raids against Axis forces.

   2. a member of any of these units.

2. any military unit organized for operations similar to those of the commandos of World War II.

3. a member of a military assault unit or team trained to operate quickly and aggressively in especially urgent, threatening situations, as against terrorists holding hostages.

commando

/ kəˈmɑːndəʊ /

noun

1. 1. an amphibious military unit trained for raiding

   2. a member of such a unit

2. the basic unit of the Royal Marine Corps

3. (originally) an armed force raised by Boers during the Boer War

4. (modifier) denoting or relating to a commando or force of commandos

   a commando raid

   a commando unit

adverb

1. informal,  to wear no underpants

Word History and Origins

Origin of commando¹

First recorded in 1785–95; from Afrikaans kommando “raid, raiding party, a unit of militia,” from Portuguese commando “unit commanded,” noun derivative of commandar “to command ”

Word History and Origins

Origin of commando¹

C19: from Afrikaans kommando, from Dutch commando command, from French commander to _command

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go commando, to wear pants, shorts, a skirt, etc., with no underwear.

Example Sentences

The Brits agreed to make the Jewish commandos part of the Royal Air Force, training them to parachute into enemy territory to rescue pilots and POWs as well as Jews.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Amazon and Apple that is, rather than the 80s crack commando unit.

Read more on Barron's

The unit flies missions for commandos such as the Green Berets, The Navy SEALs and Delta Force and is famous for its involvement in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

U.S. commandos are stationed at a base at Manda Bay, Kenya, where they work with local counterparts fighting al-Shabaab.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Hamas operation began around 6:29 a.m. and involved a rocket and drone barrage, paraglider commandos and teams of fighters fanning out on pickups and motorcycles from Gaza across southern Israel.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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