veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈve-tə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

a

: a former member of the armed forces

b

: an old soldier of long service

2

: a person of long experience usually in some occupation or skill (such as politics or the arts)

veteran adjective

Synonyms of veteran

• vet
• expert
• professional
• master
• warhorse

Examples of veteran in a Sentence

a veteran of the political scene

He's a 10-year veteran with the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

The front office also faced growing concerns about whether Reese’s presence would deter the signing of returning veterans and key free agents the Sky had targeted. —Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

Broadway veteran Eric Anderson will step back into the role on May 19, but the actor who will cover the interim, from May 2 through 17, hasn’t been announced. —Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

But Webber, a veteran of over 70 successful crowdfunding campaigns across music, theater, film, web series, and comedy, can raise a lot of money for projects that might never get a hearing. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026

The material engineers who pioneered the smart fabric hope to expand the project to 50 cribs, and gain approval in the next two years to market the new sensor system to consumers and other medical facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and veterans’ health organizations, Jayaraman said. —Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long experience, from veter-, vetus old — more at wether

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

veteran

noun

vet·​er·​an ˈvet-ə-rən 

ˈve-trən

1

: a person who has had long experience (as in politics or the arts)

2

: a former member of the armed forces especially during wartime

veteran adjective