veteran

American  

[vet-er-uhn, ve-truhn] / ˈvɛt ər ən, ˈvɛ trən /

noun

• veterans
  plural

1. a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, office, or the like.

   a veteran of the police force; a veteran of many sports competitions.

2. a person who has served in a military force, especially one who has fought in a war.

   a Vietnam veteran.

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adjective

1. (of soldiers) having had service or experience in warfare.

   veteran troops.

2. experienced through long service or practice; having served for a long period.

   a veteran member of Congress.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of veterans.

veteran British  

/ ˈvɛtrən, ˈvɛtərən /

noun

1. 1. a person or thing that has given long service in some capacity

   2. ( as modifier )

      veteran firemen

2. 1. a soldier who has seen considerable active service

   2. ( as modifier )

      veteran soldier

3. a person who has served in the military forces

4. See veteran car

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonveteran
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• veterans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of veteran

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin veterānus “mature, experienced,” from veter- (stem of vetus ) “old” + -ānus -an

Explanation

Veteran commonly refers to someone who has fought in a war––think Veterans' Day, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial––but, in fact, the word can mean anyone with experience in a particular field. Many veterans of World War II went to college afterward, through the G.I. Bill, and pursued professional careers. At the end of those careers, it was not unusual to find among the ranks of veteran teachers or veteran attorneys or veteran doctors men who were also veterans of the war.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

veteran veterans

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said that even in training camp, the team’s veteran players were gasping at Miles’s plays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Andrew Robertson: Tough debut for the veteran left-back.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Haden was a veteran prosecutor who had held several leadership roles during his career, including that of first assistant attorney general for the Southern District, which is the second-in-command role.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

"This was very alarming," said Sanket Joshi, 40, a veteran Indian tanker captain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

The old veteran, he sits quietly and smokes his pipe—a covered pipe of course.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

I took a cue from the business-class veterans across the aisle and started by putting my mattress pad on the seat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix are outstanding additions while the surprise signings of veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck are clearly designed to police the dressing room and set the tone.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Military officials have disputed that there are severe issues afflicting the ship, and some veterans have also suggested that the accounts in the media are overblown.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

“It’s a place to help veterans work through the VA, to help veterans job source, to help veterans come together for Taco Tuesdays and breakfasts and dinners,” Chandler says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Grandpa Blakeslee was supposed to be next, leading the column of younger, gun-toting veterans who were to charge up North Main Street, playing like this was the Battle of Gettysburg.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• old-time
• skilled
• trained