mer·ce·nary
ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē 
-ne-rē
plural mercenaries
: one that serves merely for wages
especially
: a soldier hired into foreign service
mercenaries who guaranteed the success of the rebellion —
B. F. Reilly
2
: hired for service in the army of a foreign country
Examples of mercenary in a Sentence
Noun
an army of foreign mercenaries
Adjective
His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary.
they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
But there was a problem: Russian mercenaries were flown directly to Syria on Russian military aircraft.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
Others have used computer vision with some success in aiding material analysis of pigments and texture; more mercenary applications by museums and collectors include its potential to authenticate works of art.
—Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Braxton, a globe-trotting killer for hire, is an ideal foil for Chris — a gleeful, filter-free mercenary who loves luxury goods and beating people up, but who is, like his brother, has been living a free-floating life that lacks meaningful connections.
—Adjective
Bennett Conlin, editor: Former Terps legends Len Elmore and Tom McMillen wanted the program to avoid hiring another mercenary coach, instead bringing in a coach with strong Maryland ties.
—Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercenary. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Kids Definition
mercenary
1 of 2 noun
mer·ce·nary
ˈmərs-ᵊn-ˌer-ē
plural mercenaries
: one that serves only for wages
especially
: a soldier hired by a foreign country to fight in its army
mercenary
2 of 2 adjective1
: serving only for the pay or reward
mercenary armies
mercenary soldier
2
: greedy for money
mercenary business owners
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share