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  1. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › MercenaryMercenary - Wikipedia

    A mercenary, also called a merc, soldier of fortune, or hired gun, is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military.

  2. The meaning of MERCENARY is one that serves merely for wages; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service. How to use mercenary in a sentence.

  3. MERCENARY definition: 1. interested only in the amount of money that you can get from a situation: 2. a soldier who…. Learn more.

  4. Jun 8, 2024 · Mercenary, hired professional soldier who fights for any state or nation without regard to political interests or issues. From the earliest days of organized warfare until the development of political standing armies in the mid-17th century, governments frequently supplemented their military forces.

    • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    • It’s the second oldest profession. Much of military history is privatized. The word “mercenary” comes from the Latin merces ("wages" or "pay"); today it connotes vileness, treachery, and murder.
    • The merc trade was resurrected by the US. For a few hundred years, states cooperated to outlaw mercenaries and privateers (mercenaries of the sea). This came undone after the Cold War.
    • Contracting may be the new American Way of War. Why did the US, with the world’s most powerful military, need contractors? Because the All Volunteer Force could not recruit enough American’s to sustain two “long wars.”
    • Most contractors who fight for America aren’t even American. When I was in the industry, I worked alongside people from all over the world: Mexico, Ghana, Australia, Canada and so forth.
  5. working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal. Synonyms: covetous, avaricious, acquisitive, grasping. Antonyms: unselfish, idealistic, altruistic. hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc.

  6. A mercenary, sometimes known as a soldier of fortune, is an individual who takes part in military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military.

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