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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for combatant

• noncombatant
• supernatant
• patent

Kids 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