reservist

American

[ri-zur-vist] / rɪˈzɜr vɪst /

noun

a person who belongs to a reserve military force of a country.

reservist British

/ rɪˈzɜːvɪst /

noun

one who serves in the reserve formations of a nation's armed forces

"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

Etymology

Origin of reservist

First recorded in 1875–80; reserve + -ist

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.

See Examples For:

reservist

Drawing on his service as a Naval reservist, Campa-Najjar takes a cautious approach to military engagement.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

In February, two Israelis were charged with placing bets on Polymarket on future military operations based on classified information that one of the individuals, a military reservist, had access to.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026

Its largely reservist army is worn out from redeployments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

"We are used to having Russia just across the border," said Lopponen, who like almost every man and some women, is a military reservist until the age of 65.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

A reservist called back to the colours after some years of retirement from the army.

From The Rough Road by Locke, William John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023