Dictionary.com

leatherneck

[ leth-er-nek ]
/ ˈlɛð ərˌnɛk /

noun Slang.

a U.S. marine.

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Origin of leatherneck

First recorded in 1910–15; from the leather-lined collar which was formerly part of the uniform

Words nearby leatherneck

leatherhead, leatherjacket, leatherleaf, leather-lunged, leathern, leatherneck, Leatheroid, leather star, Leather-Stocking Tales, leatherwear, leatherwood
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for leatherneck

  • The leatherneck ran up to them, blurted out his story, gazed at them imploringly and thrust the puppies into their hands.

    The Silent Readers|William D. Lewis

  • It showed the utter unselfishness of the American doughboy, gob, and leatherneck.

    The Story of The American Legion|George Seay Wheat

British Dictionary definitions for leatherneck

leatherneck
/ (ˈlɛðəˌnɛk) /

noun

slang a member of the US Marine Corps

Word Origin for leatherneck

from the custom of facing the neckband of their uniform with leather
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