soldier

[ sohl-jer ]

noun

1. a person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service.
2. an enlisted person, as distinguished from a commissioned officer:

   the soldiers' mess and the officers' mess.

3. a person of military skill or experience:

   George Washington was a great soldier.

4. a person who contends or serves in any cause:

   a soldier of the Lord.

5. Also called button man. Slang. a low-ranking member of a crime organization or syndicate.
6. Entomology.
   1. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped female ants or termites specialized, as with powerful jaws, to defend the colony from invaders.
   2. a similar member of a caste of worker bees, specialized to protect the hive.
7. a brick laid vertically with the narrower long face out. Compare rowlock ( def 2 ).
8. Informal. a person who avoids work or pretends to work; loafer; malingerer.

verb (used without object)

1. to act or serve as a soldier.
2. Informal. to loaf while pretending to work; malinger:

   He was soldiering on the job.

verb phrase

1. to persist steadfastly in one's work; persevere:

   to soldier on until the work is done.

soldier

/ ˈsəʊldʒə /

noun

1. 1. a person who serves or has served in an army
   2. Also calledcommon soldier a noncommissioned member of an army as opposed to a commissioned officer
2. a person who works diligently for a cause
3. a low-ranking member of the Mafia or other organized crime ring
4. zoology
   1. an individual in a colony of social insects, esp ants, that has powerful jaws adapted for defending the colony, crushing large food particles, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      soldier ant

5. informal.
   a strip of bread or toast that is dipped into a soft-boiled egg

verb

1. to serve as a soldier
2. obsolete.
   to malinger or shirk

Other Words From

• soldier·ship noun
• non·soldier noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of soldier¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English souldiour, from Old French soudier, so(i)dier, equivalent to soulde “pay” (from Latin solidus; sol ² ) + -ier -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of soldier¹

C13: from Old French soudier, from soude (army) pay, from Late Latin solidus a gold coin, from Latin: firm

Example Sentences

During negotiations to establish the ICC, the US argued that its soldiers might be the subject of politically motivated or frivolous prosecutions.

From BBC

In Dnipro, a steady stream of injured soldiers comes through the doors of one of the country’s many prosthetic centres.

From BBC

Slava, who appears in the film, is both a ceramist and a member of a Ukraine special forces unit who gives weapons training to civilians turned soldiers.

From New York Times

They are also foot soldiers in a power grab.

From Los Angeles Times

There had been speculation that she was taken after being seen by neighbours helping an injured British soldier.

From BBC

Related Words

• commando
• fighter
• guard
• guerrilla
• marine
• mercenary
• officer
• paratrooper
• pilot
• trooper
• veteran
• volunteer