Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

soldier-of-fortune

noun

/ˈsoʊldʒər əv ˈfɔːrtjuːn/

Definition

A soldier who is hired to fight for a foreign army or cause, often motivated by the promise of payment or financial reward rather than loyalty to a country or cause.

Examples

The company hired a soldier-of-fortune to train its security team.
After years of serving as a soldier-of-fortune, he finally found a cause worth fighting for.
The novel follows the journey of a soldier-of-fortune who becomes entangled in a political conflict.

Meaning

The term ‘soldier-of-fortune’ generally refers to a mercenary, someone who is willing to enter into armed conflict purely for profit and not for national allegiance.