soldier

SOHL-jur/ˈsoʊld͡ʒɚ/SOHL-juh/ˈsəʊld͡ʒə/

Pluralsoldiers

Verbsoldiers, soldiering, soldiered

14 meanings of soldier

Practice

1
military membernouncountable
A person who serves in an army, especially one who is not an officer.
The soldier saluted his commander before leaving the base.
Thousands of soldiers marched through the town at dawn.
Oppositecivilian
Note
2
keep goingverbintransitive
To keep going and not give up, even when things are hard.
Like walking ahead through heavy rain instead of stopping.
We must soldier on despite all the setbacks.
She soldiered on through the storm to finish the race.
UsageUsually used in the phrase soldier on, often with through.
Similarpersevere, persist, press, struggle
Oppositequit
3
hard workernouncountable
A brave, strong person who keeps going when things are hard. It is also said kindly to a young boy.
Like a worker who keeps digging long after everyone else is tired.
She's a real soldier when it comes to finishing tough jobs.
You worked all weekend with a cold? You're a real soldier.
UsageSay someone is a real soldier.
Similartrooper, trouper, fighter, warrior, survivor

Less common meanings

4
gang membernouncountable
A low-level gang member who does the fighting and dirty work.
The boss sent a soldier to collect the debt.
The mob boss never did the dirty work himself. His soldiers did it.
Similarhenchman, enforcer
5
serve (army)verbintransitive
To serve in an army as a fighting member.
Her grandfather soldiered in the desert for three years.
My uncle left home at eighteen to soldier for his country.
Similarserve, fight
6
termite guardnouncountable
In termites and some ants, an insect that guards the nest, often with a big head and strong jaws.
Like a guard at a castle gate, built for defense.
When ants attacked, the termite soldiers used their huge jaws to guard the nest.
A termite soldier uses its huge jaws to fight off attacking ants.
7
toast stripnounAustraliaBritishIrelandNew Zealandcountable
A thin strip of buttered toast for dipping into a soft-boiled egg.
Like a thin stick you dip into sauce.
She dipped a soldier into the runny yolk.
The children lined up their soldiers beside the eggcup.
UsageSay cut the toast into soldiers.
8
Salvation Armynouncountable
A member of the Salvation Army, a Christian group that is organized like an army.
She became a soldier in the Salvation Army after years of attending its meetings.
The corps welcomed three new soldiers at Sunday's enrollment service.
UsageSay a Salvation Army soldier.
9
verb
To work as slowly as you can get away with, on purpose.
10
noun
A game piece in Chinese chess that moves forward one space at a time.
11
noun
A brick stood up on its end so its tall, narrow side shows on the wall.
12
noun
A small red sea fish with a large, bony head, also known as a gurnard.
13
noundated
A dried, smoked herring whose flesh has turned red.
14
verbslang
To secretly ride a horse that belongs to someone else, without asking first.
It was the first time I had ever “soldiered” a horse. Soldiering means using a horse without the owner's leave or knowledge. Two of our lost horses we never found. Probably some one was soldiering them!
1917, Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh, After many days: being the reminiscences of Cuthbert FetherstonhaughHere, soldiered means rode another person's horse without asking.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of soldier apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This word came through Old French from a Latin word for a soldier, meaning 'one who has pay'. It goes back to a Late Latin word 'solidus', a kind of coin.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The word entered English through Old French. en.wikipedia.org
Its Latin ancestor meant soldier, literally one having pay. en.wikipedia.org
The ultimate source is Late Latin solidus, meaning a kind of coin. en.wiktionary.org