Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump to:
  • Special Forces
    Special Forces
    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
    special forces
    plural noun
    élite, highly trained military forces, specially selected to work on difficult missions
Synonyms

Special Forces

American  

plural noun

  1. 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

  1. 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.

On Monday, Mexican Navy special forces captured Audias “The Gardener” Flores, one of Oseguera’s top lieutenants, who once was seen as a leading candidate to succeed him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

A Malian security source told AFP he had been "evacuated from Kati on Saturday and is in a safe location" at a "special forces camp" near Bamako.

From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026

The trader, who the feds allege is Army special forces Master Sgt.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

American special forces, wearing both U.S. and Libyan patches, assisted in a mock hostage rescue involving 50 Libyan fighters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

They waded through burning waters and debris and lumbered ashore like nightmarish special forces.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia