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Definitions

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.

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It’s just we need wiser, smarter, better leaders, who are, frankly, less mercenary.

From Salon Jun. 15, 2026

Most fighters in the Africa Corps formerly belonged to the Russian mercenary Wagner group, which was active in the continent, hired by local governments to help curb insurgencies.

From BBC Apr. 27, 2026

Russia's mercenary Wagner Group, which had been fighting with Malian forces against jihadists since 2021, ended its involvement in June 2025.

From Barron's Apr. 25, 2026

Over the years, it was sustained by proceeds from the sale of gold to the Gulf region and payments for guarding mines owned by Russia’s mercenary outfit, the Wagner Group, in western Sudan.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 24, 2026

Later, it would be said, they turned into the band of swords- women who were a mercenary army.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

There’s the coalition warfare, the mercenaries and the overseas adventurism.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2026

Their seasoned troops, reinforced by Hessian mercenaries, faced an amateurish and poorly provisioned army of colonials.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 29, 2026

In recent years, a United Nations peacekeeping mission, Rwandan troops and Russian mercenaries from the notorious Wagner group have helped to improve the Central African Republic's security situation.

From Barron's Jun. 12, 2026

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

In short, with mercenaries the greatest danger is their reluctance to fight; with auxiliaries, their military virtue.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli




Vocabulary lists containing mercenary


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