combatant

noun

com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt How to pronounce combatant (audio)
 also  ˈkäm-bə-tənt
: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat
combatant adjective

Examples of combatant in a Sentence

Britain was a main combatant in World War II.
Recent Examples on the Web The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed. Samy Magdy, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2024 The agency does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed. Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 This can sometimes make targeting power infrastructure legitimate, says Hathaway, but combatants need to consider how something like a sustained power outage or an explosion at a power plant could impact civilians. Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 The main combatants—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that the SAF organized out of the militias known as the Janjaweed—also helped drive the war in Darfur 20 years ago. John Prendergast, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2024 The ministry numbers don't differentiate between combatants and civilians, but the ministry says more than 70% of the casualities are women and children. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 Recommended The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. Wahaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Feb. 2024 Even if the combatants agreed to a cease-fire along the current lines of control, Putin would resume the invasion at his convenience. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 17 Feb. 2024 Today, there are only a handful of combatants vying for ground at the top end of the contemporary super-chalet pyramid, and that’s why the opening of Chalet Harmony in Méribel one month ago went off like a cannon blast. Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'combatant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of combatant was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near combatant

Cite this Entry

“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combatant. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

combatant

noun
com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈbat-ᵊnt How to pronounce combatant (audio)
 also  ˈkäm-bət-
: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat
combatant adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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