Military & Defence vocabulary · Branches of the Armed Forces
Combat engineer
Meaning in military & defence, with examples
/ˌkɒmbæt endʒɪˈnɪə/nounCommon term
In military & defence, combat engineer means: A soldier trained to build and repair roads, bridges and camps, remove obstacles and help other troops move safely.
In Turkish: istihkam askeri, istihkamcı
How it is used
The branch is simply called 'the engineers'; in the UK it is the Royal Engineers, whose soldiers are known as sappers. Engineers also build camps and water supplies during peacekeeping and disaster relief.
Example sentences
Combat engineers built a temporary bridge after the flood washed the old one away.
She trained as a combat engineer and now plans construction projects for the army.
Common collocations
combat engineer battalion
engineer company
Royal Engineers
field engineering
Related terms
infantrySoldiers who operate mainly on foot, or in vehicles that carry them, and who take and hold ground; also the army branch they belong to.
artilleryLarge guns and rocket systems used to support other forces from a distance, the soldiers who operate them, and the army branch they belong to.
armyThe branch of the armed forces that operates on land; as a unit name, also a very large formation made up of several corps.
unitAny organised group of military personnel with its own commander and role, from a small team up to a large formation.
