foot soldier

Definition of foot soldiernext
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work he's been a foot soldier for several environmental organizations over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foot soldier His mind for military strategy and his quiet but intense drive propelled him – a son of working-class Moroccan Jewish immigrants who grew up in the most remote corner of Israel – from foot soldier to army chief of staff. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2026 Among the Cambodians to exploit the instability was Toek Tik, a once-impoverished former Khmer Rouge foot soldier whose confessions helped investigators substantiate some of their claims against Latchford. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 June 2026 The result is child foot soldiers hired as hitmen, becoming both the perpetrators of crime and the victims of criminals. — ABC News, 12 June 2026 Traffickers recruit young people, including minors, to serve as foot soldiers in their bloody quest to control drug-trafficking routes across Mexico. — Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for foot soldier
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foot soldier
Noun
  • In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When his son suddenly turns up alive and well, Mark and his psychiatrist wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), realize that the kidnapper accidentally took the child of Ramón (Luis Gerardo Méndez), their housekeeper’s undocumented day-laborer boyfriend.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The program could also be targeted rather than universal — triggered by sector-specific unemployment spikes, income level, or geography, so the money flows first to the workers AI disrupts most.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Foot soldier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foot%20soldier. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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