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
Japan would also procure five wide-range spy UAVs to support commanders’ decisions and firepower projection by detecting surface combatants at long range, and three shore- and underwater-obstacle detection UAVs under the budget.
—
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
The Navy's Zumwalt‑class destroyers — the largest surface combatants currently at 15,000 tons — were reduced from 32 to three ships due to spiraling costs.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
Israel’s military response has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to PBS News which cited Gaza’s Health Ministry — the figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
The biggest surface combatants in the US Navy fleet now are the Zumwalt destroyers, which displace 15,000 tons.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
The Navy's Zumwalt‑class destroyers — the largest surface combatants currently at 15,000 tons — were reduced from 32 to three ships due to spiraling costs.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
Israel’s military response has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to PBS News which cited Gaza’s Health Ministry — the figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
The biggest surface combatants in the US Navy fleet now are the Zumwalt destroyers, which displace 15,000 tons.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combatant
Cite this Entry
“Combatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combatant. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share