Special Forces

American

plural noun

U.S. Army personnel trained to organize, instruct, supply, and supervise local forces engaged in guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgency operations, and to themselves conduct unconventional warfare.

special forces British

plural noun

élite, highly trained military forces, specially selected to work on difficult missions

"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

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.

Special Forces dropped from helicopters onto the deck of the Russia-flagged Marinera in the Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

It was "not just one director that has known about this", he said in his evidence, adding that UK Special Forces leadership was "very much suppressing" the allegations.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

Was it someone from Special Forces or the Navy or a Coast Guard vessel that happened to be nearby?

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

Army Special Forces veteran Joe Hudak fought a daily battle against a voice inside his head screaming anxious, dark and dangerous thoughts.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025

Being a strong, motivated, hardened American soldier was drummed into Oshiro and every member of the Special Forces until they were the elite force the army expected.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

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