special forces

NOUN

specially trained military troops

Synonyms

WEAK

Green Berets commandos elite troops guerrilla troops paratroops rangers rapid deployment force shock troops storm troops

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.

Even though it was a covert Special Forces operation, Panetta said, he personally briefed key congressional leaders before Bin Laden’s killing took place.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

Was it someone from Special Forces or the Navy or a Coast Guard vessel that happened to be nearby?

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

The physical risk resulting from this leak to those members of UK Special Forces whose names were on the leaked dataset is judged to be minimal.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

They are led by former Special Forces soldier turned tech entrepreneur Yinon Weiss, according to a former senior Pentagon official familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2025

Many of the isolated, heavily defended camps were on hilltops in remote locations near Vietnam’s western border with Cambodia and Laos where Special Forces could keep track of enemy movement.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge