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
Since the war erupted Oct. 7 with Hamas’ deadly attacks, Israel’s military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—
Deepti Hajela, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the military has killed 14,000 combatants and about 16,000 civilians in its Gaza offensive.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 15 May 2024
The agency's figures don't differentiate civilians from combatants.
—Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives have killed more than 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2024
Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives have killed more than 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
—Wafaa Shurafa, TIME, 11 May 2024
On the other hand, Democrats and progressives who have been pressing Mr. Biden to limit or cut off arms to curtail Israel’s war said the president’s action was long overdue and still not enough after more than 34,000 have died in Gaza, including both combatants and civilians.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 8 May 2024
The tally doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Sam Mednick, TIME, 6 May 2024
The entire team would gather around the combatants to take sides, with the winner swarmed by joyous teammates.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Deepti Hajela, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the military has killed 14,000 combatants and about 16,000 civilians in its Gaza offensive.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 15 May 2024
The agency's figures don't differentiate civilians from combatants.
—Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives have killed more than 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2024
Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives have killed more than 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
—Wafaa Shurafa, TIME, 11 May 2024
On the other hand, Democrats and progressives who have been pressing Mr. Biden to limit or cut off arms to curtail Israel’s war said the president’s action was long overdue and still not enough after more than 34,000 have died in Gaza, including both combatants and civilians.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 8 May 2024
The tally doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Sam Mednick, TIME, 6 May 2024
The entire team would gather around the combatants to take sides, with the winner swarmed by joyous teammates.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 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.
Articles Related to combatant
Dictionary Entries Near combatant
Cite this Entry
“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combatant. Accessed 22 May. 2024.
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