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Synonyms

veteran

American  
[vet-er-uhn, ve-truhn] / ˈvɛt ər ən, ˈvɛ trən /

noun

  1. a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, office, or the like.

    a veteran of the police force; a veteran of many sports competitions.

  2. a person who has served in a military force, especially one who has fought in a war.

    a Vietnam veteran.

adjective

  1. (of soldiers) having had service or experience in warfare.

    veteran troops.

  2. experienced through long service or practice; having served for a long period.

    a veteran member of Congress.

  3. of, relating to, or characteristic of veterans.

veteran British  
/ ˈvɛtrən, ˈvɛtərən /

noun

    1. a person or thing that has given long service in some capacity

    2. ( as modifier )

      veteran firemen

    1. a soldier who has seen considerable active service

    2. ( as modifier )

      veteran soldier

  3. a person who has served in the military forces

  4. See veteran car

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonveteran noun

Etymology

Origin of veteran

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin veterānus “mature, experienced,” from veter- (stem of vetus ) “old” + -ānus -an

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.

Going into Sunday’s championship game, Close has a veteran group, with no starter younger than 22 and a leadership group of six players slated to exhaust their eligibility and likely head to the WNBA.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

But the development has one market veteran sounding a warning.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

British veteran Chisora, 42, made his professional debut in 2007 and has recorded 36 wins and 13 defeats.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

As he unraveled the mystery, he impressed veteran researchers with his findings—including federal law enforcement, which took action against the network two weeks ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Everywhere the train stopped—Charleston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, and many other places, ending in New York—enormous rallies were held, featuring speeches by veteran suffragist activists, each one dressed in prison garb.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

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.