Meaning & use
a billet
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemilitary
A place where a soldier or group of soldiers is temporarily lodged, often in a private house.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a billet' or 'billets'.
Patterns
- a billet for soldiers
- find a billet
- be in billet
During the war, the family had to provide a billet for two soldiers.
The troops were assigned a billet in the village.
He was lucky to get a comfortable billet near the base.
nouncountablemilitaryinformal
A job or position, especially one in the armed forces.
Grammar: Countable: often used in phrases like 'a good billet'.
Patterns
- a billet as something
- get a billet
He was given a billet as a drill instructor.
She hopes to get a billet in the engineering corps.
That's a tough billet to fill.
Word forms
| plural | billets |
|---|
Common combinations
- a billet for troops
- The mayor arranged a billet for the troops in the town hall.
- find a billet
- The soldiers had to find a billet before nightfall.
- a billet in the army
- He secured a billet in the army as a mechanic.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- billet verb
- To lodge soldiers in a private house: 'The army billeted troops in the village.'
Commonly confused: a billet or billot?
a billet vs billot
Not a common English word; 'billet' is the correct spelling for the lodging or job sense.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a billet' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A billet' in this context means a place where a soldier stays. The other options confuse it with 'letter', 'ticket', or 'baguette'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a billet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.