foot soldier

noun

1
2
: a person likened to an infantryman especially in doing active and usually unglamorous work in support of an organization or movement
foot soldiers in the war against drugs

Examples of foot soldier in a Sentence

foot soldiers in the war against drugs he's been a foot soldier for several environmental organizations over the years
Recent Examples on the Web Russians and Ukrainians alike deployed the shields in greater numbers as both sides escalated their use of drones to attack foot soldiers and vehicles on and behind the war’s front lines. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023 The other tour guide said that was because the two warring drug cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco, often recruit or force local people to act as foot soldiers and prevent National Guard troopers from entering their towns. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2024 These foot soldiers and organizers, including a young Narendra Modi, collected millions of dollars to be socked away for a long fight to build a grand Hindu temple in Ayodhya, in northern India. Hari Kumar Atul Loke, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 The campaign gained such confidence that even as the dispute over the plot was being heard in court, tens of thousands of foot soldiers gathered at the spot in December 1992 and, in the presence of top right-wing leaders, destroyed the mosque with ropes, sledgehammers and their bare hands. Hari Kumar Atul Loke, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 In the camps, Ukrainian children wear uniforms and undergo semi-military training, raising concerns that Russia was planning to use them as foot soldiers in Ukraine. Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2023 Birmingham Children’s Crusade foot soldiers are still fighting for equity. Ruth Serven Smith | Rserven@al.com, al, 15 Sep. 2023 In the phase 2 trial, 107 subjects who’d had surgery to remove melanoma from lymph nodes or other organs received both the vaccine and pembrolizumab, which protects T cells — the immune system’s foot soldiers — from being deactivated by cancer cells. Kenneth Miller, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023 There is a rich social-justice tradition in Roman Catholicism, yet many conservative Catholics are foot soldiers of the right. Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foot soldier.' 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

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foot soldier was in 1587

Dictionary Entries Near foot soldier

Cite this Entry

“Foot soldier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foot%20soldier. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

foot soldier

noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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