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commando

American  
[kuh-man-doh, -mahn-] / kəˈmæn doʊ, -ˈmɑn- /

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.

idioms

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

commando British  
/ kəˈmɑːndəʊ /

noun

    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
"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

adverb

  1. informal  to wear no underpants

"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

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.

The U.S. also stations commandos and other forces in Somalia itself, where they help elite local troops fighting al-Shabaab—an Islamist insurgent group affiliated with al Qaeda—and the Somali branch of Islamic State.

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, Makasi rose quickly, becoming a commando instructor training elite units.

From BBC

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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From 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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.