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

The Rams’ trade last week for veteran Tutu Atwell, in a deal that sent running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins, gives them seven receivers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

A World War Two veteran who took part in the D-Day landings has died aged 105.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Organized by veteran civil rights leader Al Sharpton and led by King's son Martin Luther King III, the demonstration drew support from more than 90 civil rights, labor, faith and community organizations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

“Bond yields will have a difficult time rising much further given that significant aspects of the economy have recently begun slowing again,” said veteran Wall Street strategist Jim Paulsen, in e-mailed commentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Without my music, I had wandered Tarbean for years, half-alive, like a crippled veteran or one of the walking dead.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

If you ever had the chance to talk to World War II veterans, you know they believed they were fighting for “freedom” against the scourge of fascism.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Quinta Brunson’s scraping schoolteacher Janine Teagues in “Abbott Elementary” hopes to grow into the roles modeled by classroom veterans before rent and bills push her out of the profession.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Over the following months, Snead traded away his handpicked starting quarterback and a haul of seven draft picks for proven veterans who were ready to win immediately.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

A small number of veterans have been told they owe six-figure sums.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Their officers shared a single large burrow and here he met some experienced veterans and listened with interest to their stories of Wide Patrols and other exploits.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• old-time
• skilled
• trained