One who serves in an army for pay; one who takes part in military service or warfare; spec. one of the ordinary rank and file; a private.

A common soldier. Obsolete.

an ordinary soldier of the lowest rank; = sense C. 10; cf. common soldier n. at common, adj. adv.compounds 2.

an ordinary soldier of the lowest rank; cf. private soldier n.

= private soldier n.

A fighting man, a man-at-arms, a soldier; a member of a force fighting under the command of a specified person; (now) esp. a soldier, sailor, or…

(private) centinel: a private soldier. Obsolete.

a private soldier.

An ordinary soldier of the lowest ranks; (in the British Army) a soldier below the rank of lance corporal; = private soldier n. at compounds 2…

= single sentinel n.

Chiefly in singular. A member of a troop of soldiers (or other servicemen); a soldier, a trooper. colloquial (chiefly Military).

Military. A member of the ranks; a rank and file soldier.

Military colloquial. A soldier of low rank; an infantry soldier, a ‘grunt’. Cf. dogface, n. 3.

Military. A person in the ranks; a soldier, etc., who is not an officer.

(a) (in plural) all those who are not commissioned officers; also in extended use; (b) (as a count noun, usually in plural) a non-commissioned…

A low-ranking soldier or sailor.

A member of a squad; a private soldier; a recruit. Also transferred.

A soldier of the rank of private in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Also used as a title prefixed to a person's name.

U.S. Military slang (esp. in the U.S. Marine Corps). A private or other low-ranking member of the military; a ‘grunt’. Now chiefly historical.

U.S. slang. An infantry soldier.

In South Africa and Rhodesia (subsequently Zimbabwe): an ordinary soldier, a private; a national serviceman without rank.