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

Before the game, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said veteran pitcher Yu Darvish was progressing in playing catch, but there was no specific timetable for his return from elbow inflammation. —Dennis Lin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

The union represents nurses caring for patients' physical and mental health at veterans facilities around the country. —Andrea Hsu, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025

In 2024, fashion veteran Misti Blasko was hired as CEO of the 99% women-run company to replace Ward. —Kaleigh Moore, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Citadel stars Game of Thrones veteran Richard Madden and Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra as elite spy agents who had their memories wiped years ago after encountering a shadowy syndicate known as Manticore. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 28 Mar. 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