mercenary
adjective
working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal.
mercenaries
-
pluralof mercenary.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
From a base in Bangui, Pavel Prigozhin and 500 or so mercenaries under his command have seized control of gold mines, according to the Global Initiative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The Saudis countered with an air campaign and ground force composed of Yemeni pro-government paramilitary factions, Saudi and Emirati troops and mercenaries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The corsairs, sometimes defining themselves as a naval mujahideen, also acted as mercenaries or proxies.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
In recent years, a United Nations peacekeeping mission, Rwandan troops and Russian mercenaries from the notorious Wagner group have helped to improve the Central African Republic's security situation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
I say, then, that the armies with which a prince defends his state are made up of his own troops, or mercenaries, or auxiliaries, or of mixed troops.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
