grenadier
Americannoun
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(in the British army) a member of the first regiment of household infantry Grenadier Guards.
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(formerly) a specially selected foot soldier in certain elite units.
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(formerly) a soldier who threw grenades.
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Also called rat-tail. Also called rattail. any of several deep-sea fishes of the family Macrouridae, having an elongated, tapering tail.
noun
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military
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(in the British Army) a member of the senior regiment of infantry in the Household Brigade
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(formerly) a member of a special formation, usually selected for strength and height
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(formerly) a soldier trained to throw grenades
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Also called: rat-tail. any deep-sea gadoid fish of the family Macrouridae, typically having a large head and trunk and a long tapering tail
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any of various African weaverbirds of the genus Estrilda See waxbill
Other Word Forms
- grenadierial adjective
- grenadierly adverb
- grenadiership noun
Etymology
Origin of grenadier
Vocabulary lists containing grenadier
"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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"Paul Revere's Ride," Vocabulary from the poem
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kerkhoff said for example that she was wearing a Capitol Police baseball cap because her 10-member grenadier unit — trained to deploy less-than-lethal force — had no time to grab equipment.
From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2022
Others to look out for are golden noble and grenadier.
From The Guardian • Oct. 9, 2019
Men such as grenadier Essell Maxwell, who posthumously received the Croix de Guerre when he sacrificed himself to silence a machine gun crew wreaking havoc on his comrades.
From Washington Post • Nov. 13, 2018
In Winchester, there is a grave which pays homage to a 26-year-old grenadier in the North Regiment of the Hants Militia.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2017
Pumpkin had not been big and bold enough for a grenadier nor clever enough for a light infantryman.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.