Meaning & use
cavalrymen
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“cavalrymen” is a form of “cavalryman”.
Meaning
nounplural
Soldiers who fight on horseback or in armored vehicles as part of a mounted unit.
Grammar: Plural of cavalryman; takes a plural verb: the cavalrymen were ready.
Patterns
- a group of cavalrymen
- cavalrymen on horseback
The general sent two hundred cavalrymen ahead to scout the valley.
In the painting, the cavalrymen charge across the field with their sabers raised.
Modern cavalrymen often serve in tanks rather than on horses.
Common combinations
- a troop of cavalrymen
- A troop of cavalrymen rode past the village at dawn.
- mounted cavalrymen
- Mounted cavalrymen were no match for machine guns.
- cavalrymen charged
- The cavalrymen charged the enemy's left flank.
- a squadron of cavalrymen
- A squadron of cavalrymen guarded the supply road.
Synonyms and how they differ
- troopers
- Troopers can mean soldiers in a cavalry unit, but the word is also used for police officers in some countries, so it is less precise.
- horsemen
- Horsemen simply means people who ride horses and does not necessarily suggest a military unit.
Opposites
Word family
- cavalryman noun
- One soldier who serves in a mounted or armored unit.
- cavalry noun
- The branch of an army that fights on horseback or in armored vehicles.
Commonly confused: cavalrymen or Calvary?
cavalrymen vs Calvary
Calvary is the hill near Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified; cavalrymen belong to the army, and the two words differ by one letter.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural form correctly?
Choose one answer.
Cavalrymen is already plural, so it takes were; option 0 uses a singular verb, option 2 invents a wrong plural, and option 3 uses a singular noun with a plural verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cavalrymen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.