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Definition of mercenary noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

mercenary

noun
 
/ˈmɜːsənəri/
 
/ˈmɜːrsəneri/
(plural mercenaries)
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  1. a soldier who will fight for any country or group that offers payment
    • foreign mercenaries
    • mercenary soldiers
    Extra Examples
    • Six years ago, he became a mercenary for a private military corporation.
    • a small army of mercenaries
    • Swiss pikemen fought as mercenaries in the armies of many European states.
    Topics War and conflictc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • foreign
    • hired
    … of mercenaries
    • army
    • band
    • group
    verb + mercenary
    • employ
    • hire
    • recruit
    mercenary + noun
    • army
    • group
    See full entry
    Word Originlate Middle English (as a noun): from Latin mercenarius ‘hireling’, from merces, merced- ‘reward’.
See mercenary in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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