combatant

noun

com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt 

also ˈkäm-bə-tənt

: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat

combatant adjective

Examples of combatant in a Sentence

Britain was a main combatant in World War II.

Recent Examples on the Web

The New Orleans Saints (1-2) and the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) — two NFC South combatants — meet on Monday, October 5, 2026 at Caesars Superdome. — Data Skrive, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2026

The agency previously reported that 80 combatants had been killed on Friday. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

Akhtar the author, though, is conducting a stealthy psyop aimed at detonating the certainties of combatants on both sides. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, American soldier Lou (Boyd Holbrook) and his squadron exchange fire with unseen enemy combatants. — Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for combatant

• noncombatant
• supernatant
• patent

Kids Definition

combatant

noun

com·​bat·​ant kəm-ˈbat-ᵊnt 

also ˈkäm-bət-

: one that is engaged in or ready to engage in combat

combatant adjective