mercenary

1 of 2

noun

mer·​ce·​nary ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce mercenary (audio)
-ne-rē
plural mercenaries
: one that serves merely for wages
especially : a soldier hired into foreign service
mercenaries who guaranteed the success of the rebellion B. F. Reilly

mercenary

2 of 2

adjective

1
: serving merely for pay or sordid advantage : venal
also : greedy
2
: hired for service in the army of a foreign country
mercenarily adverb
mercenariness noun

Examples of mercenary in a Sentence

Noun an army of foreign mercenaries Adjective His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary. they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The man was from Colombia, the rancher said, part of a growing number of mercenaries who experts say have brought bomb-making technology to rural Mexico. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 His killing was orchestrated by a group of foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombians and a few Haitian Americans, according to charges brought by the U.S. Justice Department. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 President Moïse was killed in July of 2021 when 28 foreign mercenaries, majority of whom were Colombian, raided his Port-au-Prince home. Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 22 Feb. 2024 And just this week, Vice News won the Polk Award for television reporting for its coverage of Russian mercenaries. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 Unable to die, this team utilizes their talents by working as mercenaries for various mortal employers. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024 Having decided to rely on mercenaries there are several conditions to consider. Matt Schoenfeldt, National Review, 10 Dec. 2023 Technically Shaw is a mercenary, but not a cynical or hard-hearted one. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024 Instead, the juntas turned to Russia and Russian mercenaries to help bolster security, even as violence increased sharply in the region. Rachel Chason, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Experts blame their rise in part on an influx into Mexico of mercenary fighters from Colombia, where explosives played a central role in a long-running war between leftist guerrilla groups and far-right paramilitaries. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Among the most illustrious were men who might be called mercenary warlords, whose taste for books assuaged (or disguised) the brutality of their profession. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 In Burkina Faso, more than 100 Russian soldiers with Africa Corps -- headed by Yevkurov and described by Russian officials as the successor group to the Wagner mercenary group -- have arrived in the past two months. Rachel Chason and Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 26 Feb. 2024 In Burkina Faso, more than 100 Russian soldiers with Africa Corps — headed by Yevkurov and described by Russian officials as the successor group to the Wagner mercenary group — have arrived in the past two months. Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 So there was a mercenary quality to my own interest. David Marchese Photo Illustration By Bráulio Amado, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Nathan Lane once again plays to the rafters as Ward McAllister, a mercenary high-society influencer with a preposterous mustache and a Foghorn Leghorn drawl. EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 Last summer, the swift and demonstrative downing of a jet carrying Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary commander who led a mutiny against Russia’s military leadership, sent a chilling signal to any opponents of the Kremlin’s current course. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 By the time the Russians took Bakhmut, their forces were exhausted, and the Wagner mercenary group that led the fight was in open rebellion against the Russian ministry of defense. Josh Holder, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Latin mercenarius, irregular from merced-, merces wages — more at mercy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mercenary was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mercenary

Cite this Entry

“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercenary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mercenary

1 of 2 noun
mer·​ce·​nary ˈmərs-ᵊn-ˌer-ē How to pronounce mercenary (audio)
plural mercenaries
: one that serves only for wages
especially : a soldier hired by a foreign country to fight in its army

mercenary

2 of 2 adjective
1
: serving only for the pay or reward
mercenary armies
mercenary soldier
2
: greedy for money
mercenary business owners

More from Merriam-Webster on mercenary

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