soldier of fortune
Americannoun
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a person who independently seeks pleasure, wealth, etc., through adventurous exploits.
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a military adventurer, ready to serve anywhere for pay or for pleasure.
noun
Etymology
Origin of soldier of fortune
First recorded in 1655–65
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.
In 2003, a soldier of fortune pursues enigmatic gambler Stanley Glass through ersatz Venetian canals of Las Vegas, only to stumble upon a curious book titled “The Mirror Thief.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2021
To his legions of admirers, Mike Hoare was a poetry-reading soldier of fortune who led an army of white mercenaries in Congo, freed missionaries from certain death and beat back a growing communist threat.
From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2020
But he was a descendant of a Scottish soldier of fortune, George Learmonth, who settled in Russia in the early 17th century and adapted his name to Lermontov.
From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2015
Also seeking the Republican Senate nomination were self-described soldier of fortune Thomas Bleming of Lusk, oil company worker Arthur Bruce Clifton of Cheyenne and James Gregory of Jackson.
From Washington Times • Aug. 19, 2014
The young woman is symbolic of the Republic of Costa Rica, and the gentleman ground beneath her heel is supposed to represent the American filibuster and soldier of fortune, William Walker.
From Gentlemen Rovers by Powell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
