mercenaries

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.

Mali imported Russia’s Wagner mercenaries in 2022, in a failed attempt to swiftly suffocate the local Islamist insurgency that has since emerged as al Qaeda’s most successful and resilient offshoot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Haftar feared Moscow’s mercenaries could attempt a coup against his rebel faction, as they had tried in Russia itself, Libyan and European officials have previously said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

It flew in its Wagner mercenaries to support his forces and used his territory as its logistical access point to half-a-dozen sub-Saharan countries where it scooped up valuable reserves of gold, diamond and timber.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

In a brief exchange with the BBC in March, the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said he was unaware of allegations about the use of mercenaries.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

One of the men told the chief that the only way we could possess such foreign cassettes was either by having looted them or if we were mercenaries.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah