Unknown Soldier

noun

1. an unidentified soldier killed in battle and buried with honors, the tomb serving as a memorial to all the unidentified dead of a nation's armed forces. The tomb of the American Unknown Soldier, commemorating a serviceman killed in World War I, was established in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in 1921. In 1958, the remains of personnel of World War II and the Korean War were buried alongside the tomb (now called theTomb of the Unknowns ). In 1984, a serviceman of the Vietnam War was interred next to the others.

Unknown Soldier

noun

1. (in various countries) an unidentified soldier who has died in battle and for whom a tomb is established as a memorial to other unidentified dead of the nation's armed forces

Word History and Origins

Origin of Unknown Soldier¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

King Charles and the Prince of Wales laid wreaths at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier.

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Sir Keir and the French president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital.

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Ahead of attending a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Macron and Starmer are expected to discuss Russia's ongoing invasion and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Downing Street said.

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Before the ceremony began, Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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The relatives gathered to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just outside the Kremlin walls.

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