Dictionary

warfighter en · NOUN

Etymology

From war + fighter.

Meanings

(US, especially, of the US military) A servicemember of an armed force; (often specifically) one who sees combat.
- Shay also wrote eloquently, from his experience treating Vietnam veterans with traumatic stress injuries, how the betrayal in war of the moral order—of basic beliefs about right and wrong—can ruin the character of young warfighters. 2011, Charles R. Figley, William P. Nash, Combat Stress Injury: Theory, Research, and Management, page 54:
- Training excellence inevitably returns to the leader— the warfighter. The warfighter is a special breed of soldier. From squad leader to corps commander, the warfighter knows how to fight on the battlefield. 1986, Military Review, volume 66, page 11:
- What will the future warfighter be like? What are the characteristics of the future battlefield on which he or she will fight? How must changes in military health care work to address emerging needs? 2013, Peter Ramsaroop, Marion J. Ball, David Beaulieu, Advancing Federal Sector Health Care: A Model for Technology Transfer:
- Near-synonyms: servicemember, warrior (each sometimes synonymous)
- We will not knowingly provide a product that puts America’s warfighters and civilians at risk. […] Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters—with our two requested safeguards in place. 2026 February 26, Dario Amodei, “Statement from Dario Amodei on our discussions with the Department of War”, in Anthropic:
- The U.S. Military's Food Processing, Engineering & Technology Team is responsible for keeping warfighters fed and healthy in the field. 2014 June 10, “Food to fuel warfighters”, in CNN:
- But a Navy account of that test said there was no plan to get it into the hands of warfighters, adding that it “offers a glimpse into the future of laser weapons.” […] “In a world of evolving threats we know that our focus must be on getting capability to the warfighter and we will look to accelerate this next phase of activity,” Shimon Fhima, director strategic programs for the UK Defense Ministry, said in a statement. 2024 March 13, Brad Lendon, “Air defense for $13 a shot? How lasers could revolutionize the way militaries counter enemy missiles and drones”, in CNN:
- Military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) present many unique and challenging conditions for the warfighter. 2011, Borko Furht, Handbook of Augmented Reality, page 681: