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mercenary

[mur-suh-ner-ee] / ˈmɜr səˌnɛr i /


NOUN
person who fights, kills for money
Synonyms


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.

“I’d love to do the hometown team, but I’m a mercenary whistler,” Ullman said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Working as a mercenary or fighting on behalf of another government is also illegal in South Africa, unless the government authorises it.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

A 26-year-old basketball mercenary at his fifth school, Baker-Mazara is the average age of an NBA player.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

The men were aged 34 and 40, the source said, adding one of them is a former police officer who had worked for Wagner mercenary group.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

He felt a discomfort in his very bones, as if they contracted so that they might struggle out of the mercenary peel of flesh and walk abroad.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson




Vocabulary lists containing mercenary


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