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.
Despite trumpeting pan-African and pro-independence messages, all three have welcomed Russian mercenaries to help fight jihadists loyal to either Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group, who have run rampant across the three countries.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
"We're not mercenaries," he said in a 2021 interview, describing himself as pursuing "a burlesque form of pacifism."
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
There’s the coalition warfare, the mercenaries and the overseas adventurism.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
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
“These boys are no mercenaries, look at them.”
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
