Meaning & use
markswomen
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“markswomen” is a form of “markswoman”.
Meaning
nouncountable
A woman who is very skilled at shooting a gun or rifle, especially in sport or the military.
Grammar: Countable noun; the plural is 'markswomen'. Use 'a' or 'the' before it.
Patterns
- a markswoman
- markswomen in the army
She became the youngest markswoman ever to win the national title.
The team includes three markswomen who train every morning.
A markswoman must stay calm and control her breathing before firing.
Word forms
| singular | markswoman |
|---|
Common combinations
- a skilled markswoman
- The police force hired a skilled markswoman for the special unit.
- an expert markswoman
- She is an expert markswoman with over ten years of experience.
- a military markswoman
- The military markswoman received a medal for her accuracy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sharpshooter
- A sharpshooter can be male or female and often refers to a soldier who shoots from a hidden position; 'markswoman' specifically means a female expert shooter.
- sniper
- A sniper is a military shooter who fires from a concealed spot at long range; a markswoman may shoot in sports or the military and does not always hide.
Word family
- marksman noun
- A person (usually male or neutral) skilled at shooting.
- marksmanship noun
- The skill of shooting accurately.
Commonly confused: markswomen or marksman?
markswomen vs marksman
Use 'marksman' when the shooter is male or when you do not want to specify gender; 'markswoman' is only for a female shooter.
Practice
The army's best ______ won the international shooting competition.
Choose one answer.
'Markswoman' is the singular form needed after 'the army's best' (one person). 'Markswomen' is plural, 'markswomans' is not a word, and 'marksman' would not match the female-specific context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “markswomen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.