commando
Americannoun
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(inWorld War II )
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any of the specially trained Allied military units used for surprise, hit-and-run raids against Axis forces.
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a member of any of these units.
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any military unit organized for operations similar to those of the commandos of World War II.
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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.
idioms
noun
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an amphibious military unit trained for raiding
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a member of such a unit
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the basic unit of the Royal Marine Corps
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(originally) an armed force raised by Boers during the Boer War
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(modifier) denoting or relating to a commando or force of commandos
a commando raid
a commando unit
adverb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of commando
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 ”
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.
See Examples For:
One North Korean commando, captured during a daring 1968 mission to assassinate the South Korean president in Seoul, recalls the confusion he felt when first encountering Christianity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
"We later understood that there was a commando operation underway."
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Labuschagne, an ex-South African commando, founded Warm Heart Initiative in response to the clashes that followed the translocation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Still, Makasi rose quickly, becoming a commando instructor training elite units.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
My mom is like a one-woman commando unit.
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
The operation, which Akar said targeted the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, also included commandoes who have “entered the region by infiltration from land”, he was cited as saying.
From Reuters ● Apr. 17, 2022
Dozens of U.S. commandoes landed outside Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi’s Syrian hideout and warned people in nearby homes to stay inside, U.S. officials said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
"Six-hundred men - military; they had army, commandoes, Royal Air Force, bloodhounds, Anson planes - and they still failed to find the twins."
From BBC ● May 25, 2018
The US military believes someone in the village may have tipped off attackers to the presence of US commandoes and Nigerien forces, setting in motion the ambush.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2017
This would prevent the news of our arrival being carried around to any adjacent commandoes, and would also assist to solve the labor question.
From The Defence of Duffer's Drift by Swinton, Ernest Dunlop
“Whereas before, I don’t know if I’m going to get hit with some balcony assessment that these condo commandos are hiding.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Sunday's operation, which saw commandos fast-roping from a helicopter on to the tanker, was the first of its kind carried out by UK armed forces.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Two army commandos were seen walking on either side of Aloka at the head of the quick-paced procession.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
US news outlets reported that American commandos had deployed deep into Iranian territory to rescue the downed airman.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
It was not normal procedure to give commandos this kind of information, but Wilson wanted the men going in with no illusions.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
