commando

noun

com·​man·​do kə-ˈman-(ˌ)dō 

plural commandos or commandoes

1

South Africa

a

: a military unit or command of the Boers

b

: a raiding expedition

2

a

: a military unit trained and organized as shock troops especially for hit-and-run raids into enemy territory

b

: a member of such a unit

Phrases

go commando

slang : to wear no underwear

Examples of commando in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Israeli naval commandos abducted a senior Hezbollah operative in an operation in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun, officials said Saturday. —Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 3 Nov. 2024

Paramilitary commandos, bomb detectors, dog squads and face-recognition technology were all sourced, said police officer Rajkaran Nayyar. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Following the events of Let There Be Carnage, Brock and Venom find themselves on the run from military commando Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) while a scientist (Juno Temple) aids their flight. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024

Based on actual events, the movie will chart the story of 30 Greenpeace activists who were detained by Russian commandos for months after a 2013 protest against Arctic drilling. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Afrikaans kommando, from Dutch commando command, from Spanish comando, from comandar to command, from Late Latin commandare

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

commando

noun

com·​man·​do kə-ˈman-dō 

plural commandos or commandoes

1

: a military unit trained and organized for surprise raids

2

: a member of a commando