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infantry unit

infantry unit

3 4.3
A group of soldiers who fight on foot
  • noun
  • /ˈɪnfəntri ˈjuːnɪt/
translation icon : unidad de infantería
  • A junior enlisted soldier in an infantry unit stated, "The Haitian people are now enjoying their lives."
  • elite infantry unit
  • Army infantry unit

Examples

  • The Reds deployed a number of infantry units, and our Chinese infantry started to feel the pain.

    Blog text (9)
  • She served in an infantry unit tasked with providing ground support during the operation.

  • You ever served in an infantry unit, son?

  • Have you ever spent time in an infantry unit, son?

    Fiction book (1992)
  • If you are going on long patrols with infantry units, you might be walking 5 to 10 miles a day.

    Blog text (33)
  • Thus, for example, an infantry unit's mission will usually dictate a more intense physical training program than a communication unit's.

    Academic text (1992)
  • A higher profile is a prerequisite for military service in the more prestigious infantry units.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Infantry units from Schofield Barracks moved out within a few hours and have manned beach positions.

  • The Army assigned soldiers to a new infantry unit that specializes in urban combat.

  • During training, the infantry unit practiced maneuvers in various terrains to prepare for deployment.

Synonyms

troops
vsinfantry unit
2.0

Soldiers who work together as a group in an army

is limited to soldiers who fight on foot
unit
vsinfantry unit
2.8

A group of people in an organization who have a specific job

is limited to groups of soldiers who fight on foot
outfit
vsinfantry unit
112 4.8

A group like a company or team that works together

is used only for groups whose soldiers fight on foot
troop
vsinfantry unit
98 3.2

A group of soldiers organized to fight or carry out military tasks

is used only when soldiers fight on foot
military unit
vsinfantry unit
15 2.8

A group of soldiers that does a specific task

is narrower and applies only when soldiers fight on foot
army unit
vsinfantry unit
5 2.5

A group of soldiers organized as part of an army, like a platoon or company

is specific to groups whose soldiers fight on foot

How Big

brigade
  • Specialized
112 5.4
battalion
  • Specialized
150 7.2
infantry unit
3 4.3
company
329 2.4
platoon
119 5.8
squad
702 2.4

Surface Forms

infantry unit singular

Morphology

infantry + unit

The meaning is directly compositional: 'infantry' = soldiers who fight on foot and 'unit' = a group or section, so a learner who knows both words will infer 'a military group of foot soldiers'. This compound follows regular English noun + noun composition and has clear cross‑linguistic parallels, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Infantry unit comes from a simple picture of soldiers on their feet. The word infantry means 'soldiers who fight on foot' and unit means 'a group', so the phrase refers to a military group that fights on foot.