I. sol ‧ dier 1 S3 W2 /ˈsəʊldʒə $ ˈsoʊldʒər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: soudier , from soulde 'pay' , from Late Latin solidus 'gold coin' , from Latin solidus (adjective); ⇨ ↑ solid 1 ]
a member of the army of a country, especially someone who is not an officer ⇨ troop :
A British soldier was wounded in the fighting.
an enemy soldier
• • •
THESAURUS
■ people in an army
▪ soldier someone who is in the army, especially someone who is not an officer:
Three soldiers were killed in an hour-long gun battle.
▪ troops soldiers, especially those who are taking part in a military attack:
The government sent more troops to Iraq.
▪ serviceman/servicewoman a man or woman who is in the army, air force, or navy:
The hospital treats injured servicemen and women.
▪ officer a high-ranking member of the army, air force, or navy who is in charge of a group of soldiers, sailors etc:
an army officer
II. soldier 2 BrE AmE verb
soldier on phrasal verb
especially British English to continue working in spite of difficulties:
We’ll just have to soldier on without him.