paratrooper

[par-uh-troo-per]

noun

1. a member of a military infantry unit trained to attack or land in combat areas by parachuting from airplanes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paratrooper¹

First recorded in 1940–45; para- ³ + trooper

Example Sentences

In the predawn hours of March 13, 1944, a Halifax bomber flew across the black waters of the Adriatic Sea carrying four Jewish paratroopers equipped with submachine guns, pistols and knives.

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The former paratrooper, whose identity is protected by a court order, was found not guilty earlier this month of two murders and five charges of attempted murder on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

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Cairns added the expenditure dates from March 2019, when the former paratrooper was first charged.

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In 2010, the report by Lord Saville said that on balance, the paratroopers had fired first and that none of the victims had posed any threat.

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That 12-year public inquiry, the largest investigation in UK legal history, concluded in 2010 that British paratroopers had lost control and that none of the victims had posed a threat.

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Related Words

• commando 
• fighter 
• guard 
• guerrilla 
• marine 
• mercenary 
• officer 
• pilot 
• trooper 
• veteran 
• volunteer