noncombatant
noun
non·com·bat·ant
ˌnän-kəm-ˈba-tᵊnt 
also
ˌnän-ˈkäm-bə-tənt
: one that does not engage in combat: such as
a
: a member (such as a chaplain) of the armed forces whose duties do not include fighting
b
: civilian
noncombatant
adjective
Examples of noncombatant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Israeli assault on Gaza has left the Strip in ruins, and has left at least 32,000 Gazans dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and noncombatants.
—
Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
The high civilian death toll, Israeli officials argued, was the consequence of Hamas waging war among noncombatants.
—Chuck Quirmbach, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
The letter says that journalists are civilians and that Israeli authorities must protect them as noncombatants in accordance with international law.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024
Personnel tasked with portraying noncombatants capture photos and videos of troop locations and equipment, and upload the imagery to a mock social network called Fakebook.
—Alex Horton, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
The figure does not differentiate between combatants and noncombatants, but officials say that two-thirds of the victims have been women and children.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Under the Geneva Conventions, noncombatants should not be taken prisoner.
—Isobel Koshiw, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
Israel’s search-and-destroy missions and its intensive bombardments have come at the cost of thousands of women, children and other noncombatants killed.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2023
The 2024 presidential contenders are laying into each other and even training fire on noncombatants — political figures of both parties who aren't in the race — all while allowing Trump to skate by largely unscathed.
—Brittany Bernstein, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023
Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
The high civilian death toll, Israeli officials argued, was the consequence of Hamas waging war among noncombatants.
—Chuck Quirmbach, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
The letter says that journalists are civilians and that Israeli authorities must protect them as noncombatants in accordance with international law.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024
Personnel tasked with portraying noncombatants capture photos and videos of troop locations and equipment, and upload the imagery to a mock social network called Fakebook.
—Alex Horton, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
The figure does not differentiate between combatants and noncombatants, but officials say that two-thirds of the victims have been women and children.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Under the Geneva Conventions, noncombatants should not be taken prisoner.
—Isobel Koshiw, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
Israel’s search-and-destroy missions and its intensive bombardments have come at the cost of thousands of women, children and other noncombatants killed.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2023
The 2024 presidential contenders are laying into each other and even training fire on noncombatants — political figures of both parties who aren't in the race — all while allowing Trump to skate by largely unscathed.
—Brittany Bernstein, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noncombatant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near noncombatant
Cite this Entry
“Noncombatant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noncombatant. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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