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Synonyms

infantry

American  
[in-fuhn-tree] / ˈɪn fən tri /

noun

plural

infantries

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

  2. a branch of an army composed of such soldiers.

infantry British  
/ ˈɪnfəntrɪ /

noun

  1. Abbreviation: Inf.   inf. 

    1. soldiers or units of soldiers who fight on foot with small arms

    2. ( as modifier )

      an infantry 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

Other Word Forms

  • noninfantry noun

Etymology

Origin of infantry

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

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.

We were wearing matching unit hats: We served in different brigades within the same infantry division.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

The former Fox News personality, who served as an Army National Guard infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, disdains rules of engagement and other guardrails as constraining to the “warrior ethos.”

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

"Modern warfare is now impossible without drones," Koleso, a Ukrainian infantry soldier, told AFP in eastern Ukraine.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

The Americans will, among other things, help their Nigerian counterparts coordinate simultaneous air and infantry operations, an often-risky military tactic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

The mortar platoon of Charlie Company had been out providing support to the infantry.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

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.