Veteran Meaning
/ˈvɛ.tə.ɹən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA person with long experience of a particular activity.
nounA person with long experience of a particular activity., A person who has served in the armed forces, especially an old soldier who has seen long service.
Sentence Examples
My uncle is a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Tom is a veteran.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After twenty years in the army, the ____ soldier was highly respected.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old ____ shared stories about his experiences during the war with the young children at the local school today.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French vétéran, from Latin veterānus.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today."
— 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 25 Nov 2020, page 70:
"For 55-year-old U.S. Army veteran Sae Joon Park, this was the hardest moment of his life. […] Park's story reflects both the challenges of life after combat and the perils that noncitizen veterans face if caught in the legal system — realities made harsher amid the Trump administration's push for record deportations."
— 2025 June 24, Juliana Kim, “Purple Heart Army veteran self-deports after nearly 50 years in the U.S.”, in NPR:
"Most of the cars which we call "veterans" today were on view at the Motor Show of 1911."
— 1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 87:
"The label has often collaborated with other designers, like Australian shoemaker Teva and American woolwear veteran Pendleton."
— 2018 April 1, Cristian Bonetto, Lonely Planet Pocket Copenhagen, →ISBN, page 81:
"The insinuating eloquence and delicate flattery of veteran diplomatists and courtiers."
— 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter IV, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After twenty years in the army, the ____ soldier was highly respected.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old ____ shared stories about his experiences during the war with the young children at the local school today.