infantry

[in-fuh n-tree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR infantry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural in·fan·tries.

soldiers or military units that fight on foot, in modern times typically with rifles, machine guns, grenades, mortars, etc., as weapons.

a branch of an army composed of such soldiers.

Origin of infantry

1570–80; < Italian infanteria, equivalent to infante boy, foot-soldier (see infant) + -ria -ry

Related formsnon·in·fan·try, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for infantry

doughboys

Examples from the Web for infantry

Contemporary Examples of infantry

In Vietnam, Lewis was advisor to a Vietnamese infantry unit, whose nickname for him was “Captain of Many Kilos.”
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down
Nicolaus Mills
December 13, 2014
In the west at Utah Beach the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division encountered almost none, lost 12 men killed in the first 24 hours.
Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day
James Jones
November 15, 2014
Being there with a company of American infantry was dangerous enough; going there on your own seemed like straight-up suicide.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley
Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman
November 15, 2014
Stasio would join the Fourth Brigade, Second Infantry Division, “the Raiders,” and deploy to Iraq.
How the NSA Became a Killing Machine
Shane Harris
November 9, 2014
The patriarch, Josiah, had fought with the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry, marching all the way to Kentucky to battle the Confederates.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History
Katie Baker
October 24, 2014

Historical Examples of infantry

Tarleton advanced, with his infantry in the centre, and his cavalry on the wings.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
At the bridge they met the British infantry, who gave them a volley.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
Washington's horse and Kirkwood's infantry formed the reserve.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
The infantry in advancing could only attack on a front of 600 yards.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
There are her companies of infantry in a sort of port there.
American Notes
Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for infantry

infantry

noun plural -tries

soldiers or units of soldiers who fight on foot with small arms
(as modifier)an infantry unit

Abbreviation: Inf, inf

Word Origin for infantry

C16: from Italian infanteria, from infante boy, foot soldier; see infant

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

Word Origin and History for infantry

1570s, from French infantrie, from older Italian, Spanish infanteria "foot soldiers, force composed of those too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry," from infante "foot soldier," originally "a youth," from Latin infantem (see infant). Meaning "infants collectively" is recorded from 1610s.