non-combatant
/ˌnɒn ˈkɒmbətənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌnɑːn kəmˈbætnt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌnɒnˈkɒm.bə.tənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌnɑːnˈkɑːm.bə.t̬ənt/ (ame, ipa)
non-combatant — noun
1. someone serving with the military whose role does not involve fighting — typical
someone serving with the military whose role does not involve fighting — typically a chaplain, field doctor, or medic looking after wounded soldiers.
Cyrus served as a non-combatant medic with the field hospital outside Mosul.
noun + as a non-combatant + role
Army chaplains are usually counted as non-combatants and are not expected to carry weapons.
plural use; standard military distinction
The Geneva Conventions give special protections to non-combatants such as medics and chaplains.
Reuben joined the engineering corps as a non-combatant and spent most of the war building bridges.
Roughly one in ten people in the unit was a non-combatant, including the cooks and the doctor.
- support soldier
everyday paraphrase; not a formal military term
- auxiliary
broader; can also mean a civilian helper attached to a force
- combatant
the soldier whose role does include fighting
- front-line soldier
informal opposite focused on fighting role
文法句型
a non-combatant in [conflict/force]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a uniformed service member in a specific support role (medic, chaplain, engineer, cook). Distinguish from sense 2, which covers any ordinary civilian regardless of military affiliation.
常見錯誤
2. an ordinary person living through a war who is not part of any armed force — far
an ordinary person living through a war who is not part of any armed force — farmers, children, shop owners and other civilians caught up in the fighting.
Most of the dead in the bombing were non-combatants, including many children.
casualties context; were non-combatants
International law forbids the deliberate targeting of non-combatants during a conflict.
targeting of non-combatants
Yasmin and her two younger brothers fled the city as non-combatants when the shelling began.
Aid workers spent the morning moving non-combatants out of the burning village.
The general claimed that no non-combatants had been harmed, but witnesses said otherwise.
文法句型
non-combatants in [war/conflict]
用法筆記
Subject is any civilian inside a war zone — no military uniform required. Distinguish from sense 1, where the person is part of the armed forces but in a non-fighting role.
常見錯誤
non-combatant — adjective
1. describing a person or role that belongs to an armed force but does not take par
describing a person or role that belongs to an armed force but does not take part in actual fighting — used of staff such as medics, chaplains, and engineers.
Adina was assigned to a non-combatant role looking after wounded soldiers in the field hospital.
non-combatant + role
The new recruits learned that medics and chaplains have non-combatant status under the Geneva Conventions.
non-combatant status (set phrase)
Karim joined the army in a non-combatant capacity, working as a translator at the base.
Non-combatant personnel were evacuated first when the shelling reached the camp.
Hui requested a transfer to non-combatant duties after the injury to her right hand.
- non-fighting
informal paraphrase; not used in official military writing
- support
broader; covers any helping role, not only inside an armed force
- combat
the standard opposite: 'combat role', 'combat duties'
- front-line
less formal opposite
文法句型
non-combatant + [noun]
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (attributive): 'non-combatant role / status / duties / personnel'. Rarely used after 'be' — prefer 'be a non-combatant' (the noun) to 'be non-combatant'.