soldier of fortune
noun phrase
: one who follows a military career wherever there is promise of profit, adventure, or pleasure
Examples of soldier of fortune in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The story is sort of like Pacific Rim as a period piece, dropping an alien invasion right in the middle of the Song dynasty, and stars Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal as soldiers of fortune who get wrapped up in the Chinese army’s fight against the alien forces.
—
Tres Dean, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Not messing around, the company hires Zora (Scarlett Johansson), an experienced soldier of fortune, to lead a team that also includes fellow mercenary Duncan (Mahershala Ali) and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 July 2025
My favorite example of this is Alex Cox’s 1987 masterpiece, Walker, in which Ed Harris plays the American adventurer and soldier of fortune who invaded Nicaragua in the mid-19th century.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
Take the defiant president who disbands the FBI and refuses to leave the White House, or the gun-toting soldiers of fortune who wear crosses (shades of the Proud Boys, perhaps?).
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Following Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile to Elba, kings and crown princes, ministers and spies, noble ladies and mistresses, soldiers of fortune, inventors, artists and concubines celebrate and negotiate in Vienna, where the fate of Europe is ultimately decided on the dance floor and in the boudoir.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
This installment of the Legends & Lattes series follows a convalescent soldier of fortune who finds refuge in a small-town bookstore.
10 THE MAID (Ballantine, $18).
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023
This installment of the Legends & Lattes series follows a convalescent soldier of fortune who finds refuge in a small-town bookstore.
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
This installment of the Legends & Lattes series follows a convalescent soldier of fortune who finds refuge in a small-town bookstore.
4 TRUST (Riverhead, $17).
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
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Tres Dean, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Not messing around, the company hires Zora (Scarlett Johansson), an experienced soldier of fortune, to lead a team that also includes fellow mercenary Duncan (Mahershala Ali) and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 July 2025
My favorite example of this is Alex Cox’s 1987 masterpiece, Walker, in which Ed Harris plays the American adventurer and soldier of fortune who invaded Nicaragua in the mid-19th century.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
Take the defiant president who disbands the FBI and refuses to leave the White House, or the gun-toting soldiers of fortune who wear crosses (shades of the Proud Boys, perhaps?).
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Following Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile to Elba, kings and crown princes, ministers and spies, noble ladies and mistresses, soldiers of fortune, inventors, artists and concubines celebrate and negotiate in Vienna, where the fate of Europe is ultimately decided on the dance floor and in the boudoir.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
This installment of the Legends & Lattes series follows a convalescent soldier of fortune who finds refuge in a small-town bookstore.
10 THE MAID (Ballantine, $18).
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023
This installment of the Legends & Lattes series follows a convalescent soldier of fortune who finds refuge in a small-town bookstore.
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
This installment of the Legends & Lattes series follows a convalescent soldier of fortune who finds refuge in a small-town bookstore.
4 TRUST (Riverhead, $17).
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Soldier of fortune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soldier%20of%20fortune. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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