serviceman

[ sur-vis-man, -muhn ]

noun

, plural serv·ice·men [sur, -vis-men, -m, uh, n].

1. a member of the armed forces of a country.
2. a person whose occupation is to maintain or repair equipment:

   a television serviceman.

serviceman

/ -mən; ˈsɜːvɪsˌmæn /

noun

1. Also called (feminine)servicewoman a person who serves in the armed services of a country
2. a man employed to service and maintain equipment

Gender Note

See -man.

Word History and Origins

Origin of serviceman¹

First recorded in 1920–25; service ¹ + man

Example Sentences

He is reported by US media to have successfully lobbied Trump during his first presidency to pardon servicemen accused of war crimes.

From BBC

A black poppy commemorates the contributions of black, African and Caribbean communities to the war effort, as servicemen and servicewomen, and as civilians.

From BBC

Karen Cihigoyenetche, 81, and her husband Raymond, 92, were warned about the fire by a serviceman from their cable company, who begged them to leave the house.

From Los Angeles Times

The Isle of Lewis had also suffered the Iolaire disaster in 1919 when 200 servicemen from the island had drowned at the mouth of Stornoway harbour, coming home for the first new year of peace.

From BBC

Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the end of British combat operations in Afghanistan – a conflict in which 457 British servicemen and women were killed.

From BBC

Related Words

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• fighter
• guard
• guerrilla
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• pilot
• trooper
• veteran
• volunteer