Gurkha
Americannoun
plural
Gurkhas,plural
Gurkha-
a member of a Rajput people, Hindu in religion, who achieved dominion over Nepal in the 18th century.
-
a Nepalese soldier in the British or Indian army.
noun
-
a member of a Hindu people, descended from Brahmins and Rajputs, living chiefly in Nepal, where they achieved dominance after being driven from India by the Muslims
-
a member of this people serving as a soldier in the Indian or British army
Etymology
Origin of Gurkha
First recorded in 1805–15
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.
In addition to this, 32,000 famed Gurkha soldiers of Nepal serve in the Indian army under a decades-old special agreement.
From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025
For centuries, Nepali nationals were recruited by the British army to fight as famed Gurkha soldiers and later by India when it gained independence from Britain.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2024
As a soldier in a Gurkha regiment in the British army, Magar lost both his legs in Afghanistan when he accidently stepped on an improvised explosive device in 2010.
From Washington Times • May 23, 2023
“Gurkha veteran, Hari Budha Magar creates history … as the first ever double above-knee amputee to scale Mt Everest,” the Gurkha Brigade said in a twitter post.
From Reuters • May 21, 2023
Amongst the Indian infantry were the 8th Gurkha Rifles.
From The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 3 (of 10) From the First Battle of Ypres to the End of the Year 1914 by Parrott, James Edward
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.
