noncombatant
noun
non·com·bat·ant
| \ ˌnän-kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt
also ˌnän-ˈkäm-bə-tənt
\
also ˌnän-ˈkäm-bə-tənt
\
Definition of noncombatant
: one that does not engage in combat: such as
a
: a member (such as a chaplain) of the armed forces whose duties do not include fighting
b
: civilian
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Examples of noncombatant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Wanton killing of noncombatants, particularly in the twin 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, roused him from his jihadism. — Graeme Wood, WSJ, "‘Nine Lives’ Review: Betraying al Qaeda," 31 July 2018 Calley, convicted of murdering 22 noncombatants, became the only person found guilty as a result of the incident. — Harrison Smith, Washington Post, "Ernest Medina, company commander acquitted in My Lai Massacre, dies at 81," 14 May 2018 Insofar as reporters are committed to objective journalism and not political advocacy, they should be treated as noncombatants in the culture wars. — Orrin G. Hatch, WSJ, "Geneva Conventions for the Culture War," 27 July 2018 What's needed is not more power, but the ability to place smaller bombs more accurately to minimize harm to civilians and other noncombatants. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Wants Adjustable Bombs That Can Unleash a Lot of Hell—or Just a Little," 24 Sep. 2018 Avoiding such conversations was untenable with service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who were enmeshed in messy counterinsurgency campaigns that often involved close-range killing and noncombatants. — New York Times, "The Wounds of the Drone Warrior," 13 June 2018 Reliable reports document that both sides have quartered troops in or fired from hospitals, blurring the line between combatant and noncombatant. — Cynthia Buckley, Washington Post, "The war in Ukraine is more devastating than you know," 9 Apr. 2018 Seeing that there was an impasse, Kraus made an offer: He and the other Marines would surrender and turn over their equipment if the noncombatants were released. — Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, "‘How can you trust these people?’ The brutal ordeal of America’s forgotten Iranian hostage.," 11 May 2018 During the final months of Obama’s second term came a gesture toward transparency, an executive order requiring the White House to release annually the number of noncombatants killed by drone strikes outside war zones. — Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, "A Spymaster Steps Out of the Shadows," 27 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'noncombatant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for noncombatant
noncombatant
noun
English Language Learners Definition of noncombatant
: a person (such as a military chaplain or doctor) who is in the army, navy, etc., but does not fight
: a person who is not in the army, navy, etc.
See the full definition for noncombatant in the English Language Learners Dictionary
noncombatant
noun
non·com·bat·ant
| \ ˌnän-kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt
, ˈnän-ˈkäm-bə-tənt\
, ˈnän-ˈkäm-bə-tənt\
Kids Definition of noncombatant
1
: a member (as a chaplain) of the armed forces whose duties do not include fighting
2
: a person who is not in the armed forces : civilian