Skip to main content
military volunteer

military volunteer

1 3.5
A person who chooses to join the armed forces instead of being forced to serve
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri ˌvɒlənˈtɪr/
translation icon : voluntario militar
  • During the recruitment drive, the army welcomed hundreds of military volunteers eager to enlist and support the mission.

Examples

  • In 1861, approximately 80 percent of the county's military volunteers, those listed in the 1860 census as heads of household, had identified themselves as farmers.

    Academic text (2008)
  • As a military volunteer, she made a commitment to help with humanitarian efforts in conflict zones.

  • Unfortunately, our female military volunteer has suffered some kind of fatal side effect.

  • Public order and recruitment of military volunteers are facilitated by the equitable distribution of riches acquired by conquest (II: xxvi, Pref., 1).

    Academic text (1994)
  • A short excerpt from the multiple interviews I conducted with WAVE Eileen Horner provides evidence of how the WAVES and SPARs rationalized their uniform's appeal and offers a direction of how to analyze its value to the female military volunteers.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Many young people choose to become military volunteers to serve their country during times of war.

Synonyms

enlistee
vsmilitary volunteer
1 7.0

A person who recently joined the armed forces

is not limited to new recruits and can mean anyone who chooses to serve
army volunteer
vsmilitary volunteer
3.3

A person who joins the army by choice to serve their country

is broader, applying to any service branch rather than only the land forces

How Compulsory

conscription
  • Formal
7 8.2
military volunteer
1 3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

military + volunteer

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'military' (connected to soldiers/war) + 'volunteer' (a person who freely offers services), so the combined meaning 'a person who freely enlists for military service' is directly derivable. This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows regular English noun modification, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Military volunteer is someone who steps forward to join the army by choice. The word military means 'the army' and volunteer shows they 'choose' to enlist, not are 'conscripted', so the phrase means a person who joins freely rather than being forced.