warrior
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a person who fights in a war or battle, especially in the past.
a person engaged in or experienced in warfare; often implies a historical, tribal, or heroic context rather than a modern professional soldier.
Simple“The ancient stories tell of a brave warrior who protected his village from invaders.”
In context“Historical accounts describe the samurai not just as skilled warriors, but as a distinct social class with a strict code of honour.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person who shows great courage or energy while dealing with a difficult situation or fighting for a goal.
a person who shows great vigour, courage, or persistence in a non-military struggle, such as social justice or sports.
Simple“She is a true social justice warrior who spends all her time helping the homeless.”
In context“The coach praised the young athlete as a warrior on the court, noting her refusal to give up even when the team was losing.”
“Guna Maya Bohara's great-nephew, Dipak Bohara, has told BBC Nepali she looked like "a warrior" who had returned victorious from battle.”
“The Iliad tells the story of the warrior Achilles during the final year of the Trojan War .”
From Middle English werreour, from Anglo-Norman werreur, Old French guerroiier (“fighter, combattant”), from Medieval Latin werra, from Frankish werru (“confusion; quarrel”), from Proto-Indo-European wers- (“to mix up, confuse, beat, thresh”). Displaced native Old English cempa and many others.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.