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Definition of "soldier of fortune" [soldier of fortune]

  • One who will serve in any army or undertake risky tasks for personal gain or love of adventure. (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 "soldier of fortune" in a sentence
  • "Clergyman's son, thirty-five, lawyer, soldier of fortune in Mexico and in Italy under Garibaldi, he has the dubious distinction of commanding the toughest battalion in the army and, ere his end, he shares in three of the most dramatic scenes in the drama."
  • "General Horatio Gates made the trip, as did Baron von Steuben, the Prussian soldier of fortune who would introduce martial discipline to the ragged troops at Valley Forge."
  • "Early, one-time lieutenant and for almost thirty years a lawyer and a politician; an Indian fighter, Shanks Evans; a young soldier of fortune who commanded a notoriously tough battalion, Rob Wheat; a successful planter and distinguished host, P."
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