commando
noun
com·man·do kə-ˈman-(ˌ)dō 
plural commandos or commandoes
1
South Africa
a
: a military unit or command of the Boers
b
: a raiding expedition
2
a
: a military unit trained and organized as shock troops especially for hit-and-run raids into enemy territory
b
: a member of such a unit
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The commando and a few colleagues took some steps to see if resistance was being mounted but discovered nothing. 
Ben Evansky, Fox News, 15 Aug. 2022 The Hvardiiske attack coincided with separate strikes on other Russian facilities in Crimea, including a Ukrainian commando raid on a Russian ammo stash near Mayskoye. David Axe, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022 The relationship suffered further following an Israeli commando raid in 2010 that killed nine Turkish activists on board a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Jared Malsin, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022 When the country’s men’s cricket team was attacked in a commando-style ambush during a trip to Pakistan in 2009, the disruption did not last long. New York Times, 23 July 2022 Police said a 47-year-old member of a special Israeli commando unit was killed. Josef Federman, ajc, 14 May 2022 The commando had stood his post to the end, but was now unable to get back to his family. Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2021 At one point, Ira and Vika had to crawl, commando-style, along a road to check that the route was safe. Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 10 June 2022 The footage showed the car, driven by a third person, parking nearby and the gunmen, both dressed all in black, springing from the rear seat, rushing up to the victim commando-style and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 12 May 2022 See More
Ben Evansky, Fox News, 15 Aug. 2022 The Hvardiiske attack coincided with separate strikes on other Russian facilities in Crimea, including a Ukrainian commando raid on a Russian ammo stash near Mayskoye. David Axe, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022 The relationship suffered further following an Israeli commando raid in 2010 that killed nine Turkish activists on board a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Jared Malsin, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022 When the country’s men’s cricket team was attacked in a commando-style ambush during a trip to Pakistan in 2009, the disruption did not last long. New York Times, 23 July 2022 Police said a 47-year-old member of a special Israeli commando unit was killed. Josef Federman, ajc, 14 May 2022 The commando had stood his post to the end, but was now unable to get back to his family. Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2021 At one point, Ira and Vika had to crawl, commando-style, along a road to check that the route was safe. Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 10 June 2022 The footage showed the car, driven by a third person, parking nearby and the gunmen, both dressed all in black, springing from the rear seat, rushing up to the victim commando-style and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 12 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Afrikaans kommando, from Dutch commando command, from Spanish comando, from comandar to command, from Late Latin commandare
First Known Use
1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing commando
Kids Definition
commando
noun
com·man·do kə-ˈman-dō
plural commandos or commandoes
1
: a unit of troops trained for making surprise raids into enemy territory
2
: a member of a commando
commandos
noun
variants or commandoes
1
as in paratroops
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- paratroops
- patrols
- sentries
- outposts
- pickets
- troops
- detachments
- squads
- battalions
- watches
- rear guards
- platoons
- corps
- firing squads
- squadrons
- regiments
- wings
- companies
- details
- commands
- divisions
2
as in marines
Synonyms & Similar Words
- marines
- raiders
- infantrymen
- rangers
- doughboys
- riflemen
- grunts
- cavalrymen
- soldiers
- foot soldiers
- jarheads
- musketeers
- dragoons
- artillerymen
- carabiniers
- carabineers
- footmen
- cuirassiers
- warriors
- gunners
- cavaliers
- cannoneers
- troopers
- servicemen
- archers
- crossbowmen
- legionnaires
- servicewomen
- legionaries
- militiamen
- guardsmen
- lancers
- mortarmen
- dogfaces
- fighters
- pikemen
- minutemen
- spearmen
- regulars
- men-at-arms
- Confederates
- Continentals
- GIs
- GI's
- Federals
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- civilians