First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1soldier
noun sol·dier \ˈsōl-jər\
: a person who is in the military : a member of an army
Full Definition of SOLDIER
1
a : one engaged in military service and especially in the army b : an enlisted man or woman c : a skilled warrior
2
: a militant leader, follower, or worker
3
a : one of a caste of wingless sterile termites usually differing from workers in larger size and head and long jaws b : one of a type of worker ants distinguished by exceptionally large head and jaws
4
\ˈsō-jər, ˈsōl-\ : one who shirks work
— sol·dier·ly \-lē\ adjective or adverb
— sol·dier·ship \-ˌship\ noun
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Origin of SOLDIER
Middle English soudeour, from Anglo-French soudeer, soudeour mercenary, from soudee shilling's worth, wage, from sou, soud shilling, from Late Latin solidus solidus
Related to SOLDIER
- Synonyms
- dogface, fighter, legionary, legionnaire, man-at-arms, regular, serviceman, trooper, warrior
- Antonyms
- civilian
2soldier
intransitive verb
sol·dieredsol·dier·ing \ˈsōl-jə-riŋ, ˈsōlj-riŋ\
Definition of SOLDIER
1
a : to serve as a soldier b : to behave in a soldierly manner c : to push doggedly forward —usually used with on <soldiered on to the end>
2
: to make a pretense of working while really loafing
First Known Use of SOLDIER
1647
SOLDIER Defined for Kids
soldier
noun sol·dier \ˈsōl-jər\
Definition of SOLDIER for Kids
: a person in military service and especially an enlisted person who is in the army
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