special forces

NOUN

specially trained military troops

Synonyms

WEAK

Green Berets commandos elite troops guerrilla troops paratroops rangers rapid deployment force shock troops storm troops

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Was it someone from Special Forces or the Navy or a Coast Guard vessel that happened to be nearby?

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

Special Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to his biography.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025

They are led by former Special Forces soldier turned tech entrepreneur Yinon Weiss, according to a former senior Pentagon official familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2025

A UK Special Forces officer personally rejected 1,585 resettlement applications from Afghans with credible links to British commandos, newly released documents say.

From BBC • May 23, 2025

“Being Special Forces, the beret symbolized something just a little bit more. We were like peacocks; we strutted around and did the whole thing. Just full of oats.”

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge