mercenary

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.

Last November, the South African government said it had received distress calls from the group of men who had joined mercenary forces in the conflict.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Those glimpses of humanity had a way of rendering the mercenary atmosphere in the tent city incredibly disorienting—almost unreal.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Frank Capra, the multiple Academy Award winner whose everyman heroes symbolized the American spirit triumphing over mercenary or venal big business and big government, died Tuesday at his desert retirement home.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

One mercenary, Christian Lombana, documented his 2024 travels to Sudan via France and Abu Dhabi on social media.

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

Percy was a mercenary who fought in the Dutch war for independence from Spain.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz