a native or inhabitant of Hesse.
a Hessian mercenary used by England during the American Revolution.
a hireling or ruffian.
(lowercase) burlap.
Also called Hessian andiron. (in the U.S.) an andiron having as an upright the figure of a Hessian soldier of the Revolutionary War.
a native or inhabitant of Hesse
a Hessian soldier in any of the mercenary units of the British Army in the War of American Independence or the Napoleonic Wars
any German mercenary in the British Army during the War of American Independence
a mercenary or ruffian
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was but a week after its appearance that Washington and his men crossed the icy Delaware River by night and surprised Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, N.J.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
Mazzei’s vineyards showed promise but, according to one legend, were destroyed during the Revolutionary War by rambunctious Hessian prisoners bivouacked there.
From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2023
Maniscalco was the co-founder of the Hessian Motorcycle Club.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2023
Archaeologists working at Red Bank Battlefield, a site along the Delaware River south of Philadelphia, have uncovered the remains of 13 Hessian mercenaries who were killed during a bloody Revolutionary War battle.
From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2022
The men decided that traveling right under their noses, with the slaves hidden beneath a Hessian blanket in the back of Fletcher’s cart, was the most prudent.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
