soldier

[ sohl-jer ]

/ ˈsoʊl dʒər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soldier ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service.

an enlisted man or woman, as distinguished from a commissioned officer: the soldiers' mess and the officers' mess.

a person of military skill or experience: George Washington was a great soldier.

a person who contends or serves in any cause: a soldier of the Lord.

Also called button man. Slang. a low-ranking member of a crime organization or syndicate.

Entomology.

a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped female ants or termites specialized, as with powerful jaws, to defend the colony from invaders.
a similar member of a caste of worker bees, specialized to protect the hive.

a brick laid vertically with the narrower long face out.Compare rowlock(def 2).

Informal. a person who avoids work or pretends to work; loafer; malingerer.

verb (used without object)

to act or serve as a soldier.

Informal. to loaf while pretending to work; malinger: He was soldiering on the job.

Verb Phrases

soldier on, to persist steadfastly in one's work; persevere: to soldier on until the work is done.

Nearby words

sold out, sold-out, soldan, solder, soldering iron, soldier, soldier beetle, soldier bird, soldier crab, soldier fly, soldier of fortune

Origin of soldier

1250–1300; Middle English souldiour < Old French soudier, so(l)dier, equivalent to soulde pay (< Latin solidus; see sol²) + -ier -ier²

Related formssol·dier·ship, nounnon·sol·dier, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for soldier

A soldier in the service of ideals and aspirations that formed his core.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The story of the soldier returning home to a country he no longer recognizes is a very old one.
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall|Matt Gallagher|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In their midst stands a soldier with the Lebanese armed forces in a red beret, sporting an assault rifle and an unblinking stare.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The families had gathered that Sunday to remember Ali Bazzal, a soldier whom the Nusra Front declared they had executed on Dec. 6.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Francis then supposedly told the officer that he was the one giving orders now and ordered a cappuccino for the Swiss soldier.
Is The Pope Unprotected Now That He’s Fired the Head of the Swiss Guards?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The soldier, drying his eyes and moustache with his little blue cotton handkerchief, remained motionless as the god Terminus.
The Wandering Jew, Complete|Eugene Sue
The Rebel soldier had stolen his coat, and he had no blanket to protect him from the cold night-winds.
Winning His Way|Charles Carleton Coffin
Again, this Confederate soldier was born and reared a gentleman, was so by instinct.
The Story of a Confederate boy in the Civil War|David E. Johnston
Not an officer or soldier but must recollect a case in point.
Red-Tape and Pigeon-Hole Generals|William H. Armstrong
A soldier introducing a woman to another man, who holds a scythe in his hand.
The Dance of Death|Francis Douce

British Dictionary definitions for soldier

soldier

/ (ˈsəʊldʒə) /

noun

a person who serves or has served in an army
Also called: common soldier a noncommissioned member of an army as opposed to a commissioned officer

a person who works diligently for a cause

a low-ranking member of the Mafia or other organized crime ring

zoology

an individual in a colony of social insects, esp ants, that has powerful jaws adapted for defending the colony, crushing large food particles, etc
(as modifier)soldier ant

informal a strip of bread or toast that is dipped into a soft-boiled egg

verb (intr)

to serve as a soldier

obsolete, slang to malinger or shirk

Word Origin for soldier

C13: from Old French soudier, from soude (army) pay, from Late Latin solidus a gold coin, from Latin: firm

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

Word Origin and History for soldier (1 of 2)

soldier

c.1300, souder, from Old French soudier, soldier "one who serves in the army for pay," from Medieval Latin soldarius "a soldier" (cf. Spanish soldado, Italian soldato and French soldat "soldier," which is borrowed from Italian), literally "one having pay," from Late Latin soldum, extended sense of accusative of Latin solidus, name of a Roman gold coin (see solidus). The -l- has been regular in English since mid-14c., in imitation of Latin. Willie and Joe always say sojer in the Bill Mauldin cartoons, and this seems to mirror 16c.-17c. spellings sojar, soger, sojour.

Word Origin and History for soldier (1 of 2)

soldier

"to serve as a soldier," 1640s, from soldier (n.). Related: Soldiered; soldiering. To soldier on "persist doggedly" is attested from 1954.

soldier

noun

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of soldier

Examples from the Web for soldier

British Dictionary definitions for soldier

soldier

noun

verb (intr)

Word Origin for soldier

Word Origin and History for soldier (1 of 2)

soldier

Word Origin and History for soldier (1 of 2)

soldier