combatant
noun
com·bat·ant
kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt 
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
Hamas has revised its casualty figures from the Gaza war, removing hundreds of names from its official list of war fatalities, and revealing that 72% of those killed were men aged 13 to 55 – a demographic largely composed of combatants.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
History is replete with examples of tariff wars that destroy international trade and punish—and impoverish—all combatants.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's Health Ministry, which doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2025
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Isaac Scharf and Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
History is replete with examples of tariff wars that destroy international trade and punish—and impoverish—all combatants.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's Health Ministry, which doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2025
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Isaac Scharf and Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Cite this Entry
“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combatant. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
combatant
noun
com·bat·ant
kəm-ˈbat-ᵊnt
also ˈkäm-bət-
: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat
combatant
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share