Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
U. S. Army Special Forces

U. S. Army Special Forces

1 4.4
Highly trained soldiers who do secret, dangerous missions for the United States Army
  • noun
  • /juː ɛs ˈɑrmi ˈspɛʃəl ˈfɔrsɪz/
translation icon : Fuerzas Especiales del Ejército de EE. UU.
  • U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers

Examples

  • Staff Sergeant Matthew J. Bracken, U.S. Army Special Forces Command, will receive the Bronze Star with Valor Medal for exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the United States.

    Blog text (22)

  • A recent seroprevalence study of 500 samples from US Army Special Forces soldiers during 2006-2008 found antibodies against dengue in 11% (52 in online Technical Appendix).

    Academic text (2012)

  • Mark joined the U.S. Army Special Forces to serve in unconventional warfare operations.

  • As a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, she was involved in critical counterterrorism missions.

  • Many U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers are skilled in languages and cultural awareness for special operations.

Synonyms

Special Forces
vsU. S. Army Special Forces
  • US
59 3.4

A very well trained military group that carries out secret or dangerous missions

highlights elite status and the common nickname rather than only training focus
United States Army Special Forces
vsU. S. Army Special Forces
1 4.4

A group in the United States Army trained to do secret and dangerous missions

includes counterterrorism and broader special operations beyond guerrilla emphasis

Surface Forms

U. S. Army Special Forces singular
U.S. Army Special Forces singular
US Army Special Forces singular

Morphology

U. + S. + Army + special + force

The meaning 'elite units of the United States Army' is directly and compositionally derivable from the constituents: 'U.S.' (United States) + 'Army' (military force) + 'special' (not ordinary) + 'forces' (trained groups). This is a standard, cross-linguistically common compound pattern (e.g. 'fuerzas especiales', 'forces spéciales'), so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

U. S. Army Special Forces: The name comes from soldiers chosen for unusual missions — special means they do rare, hard jobs and forces means a group of soldiers. They are often called 'Green Berets' because they wear a green hat, and that image helps explain why the name means top soldiers trained for difficult missions.