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Definition of "sepoy" [se•poy]

  • An indigenous soldier serving in the army of a foreign conqueror, especially an Indian soldier serving under British command in India. (noun)
  • The lowest enlisted rank in the British Indian army and its successors, equivalent to private. (noun)
  • One holding this rank. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "sepoy" in a sentence
  • "Like his mother, he has positioned himself as a "sepoy" of the poor, untouchables and tribals, as he himself tells it."
  • "Although not far, the distance was too great for Hukam Singh to cover on foot, for he had been wounded in the leg while serving as a sepoy in a British regiment."
  • "Now, on climbing into the back of the cart, the former sepoy sat facing to the rear, with his bundle balanced on his lap, to prevent its coming into direct contact with any of the driver's belongings."