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

A soldier in the service of ideals and aspirations that formed his core.

From The Daily Beast

The story of the soldier returning home to a country he no longer recognizes is a very old one.

From The Daily Beast

Sabrine reports that the latest demands by ISIS militants are three prisoners for every captive soldier.

From The Daily Beast

In their midst stands a soldier with the Lebanese armed forces in a red beret, sporting an assault rifle and an unblinking stare.

From The Daily Beast

The families had gathered that Sunday to remember Ali Bazzal, a soldier whom the Nusra Front declared they had executed on Dec. 6.

From The Daily Beast

After relievedly giving the pistol to the nearest soldier, he stumbled quickly over to Brion and took his hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Captain Duffield wrote two messages, giving one to Harry, and the other to the soldier who was to accompany him.

From Project Gutenberg

To Harry's surprise, the soldier detailed to go with him proved to be a boy, not much older than himself.

From Project Gutenberg

The other was the spirited portrait of Baron von Friedericks, a happy combination of cavalier and soldier in its manly strength.

From Project Gutenberg

Heavy firing continued all that afternoon, inflicting great loss on the rebels, whilst the Spaniards lost one soldier.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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