veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈve-tə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

a

: a former member of the armed forces

b

: an old soldier of long service

2

: a person of long experience usually in some occupation or skill (such as politics or the arts)

veteran adjective

Synonyms

• doyen
• old hand
• old-timer
• stager
• vet
• warhorse

Examples of veteran in a Sentence

a veteran of the political scene

He's a 10-year veteran with the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

Landing Vincent could give them another veteran for the playoffs and a capable ball-handler. —Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025

Appearing on the Graham Norton Show alongside fellow guest Olly Alexander — also a Eurovision veteran — the actor talked about his love of the annual song competition, which led to co-writing and co-starring in the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2025

Clark filed a handwritten response soon after he was notified of the foreclosure lawsuit, laying out his fight with cancer and his history as a veteran and police officer. —Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025

Micheál Martin, a veteran Fianna Fáil party politician in Ireland, was confirmed as taoiseach, the Irish title for prime minister, for three years with Fine Gael's Simon Harris -- the outgoing taoiseach -- as his deputy. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long experience, from veter-, vetus old — more at wether

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈvet-ə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

: a person who has had long experience (as in politics or the arts)

2

: a former member of the armed forces especially during wartime

veteran adjective