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 unlike McGee, an Army veteran, Stroby’s hard-bitten hero was once a soldier of fortune with a more flexible code of ethics.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2018
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. 20, 2014
Typically a soldier of fortune, he was relying upon the exigencies of chance.
From Saul of Tarsus A Tale of the Early Christians by Miller, Elizabeth
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.
