Meaning & use
soldiering on
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“soldiering on” is a form of “soldier on”.
Meaning
phrasephrasal verbinformalapproving
continuing to do something difficult or unpleasant in a determined way
Grammar: Used as the -ing form of 'soldier on'; it often follows 'be' or 'keep': She kept soldiering on.
Patterns
- keep soldiering on
- be soldiering on with something
- soldiering on despite something
Despite the bad weather, the rescue team kept soldiering on.
She was soldiering on with her studies even after her illness.
The small shop is soldiering on despite falling sales.
Word forms
| base form | soldier on |
|---|---|
| third person singular | soldiers on |
| past tense | soldiered on |
| past participle | soldiered on |
Common combinations
- keep soldiering on
- Even when the project seemed hopeless, they kept soldiering on.
- soldiering on through
- He was soldiering on through the pain to finish the race.
- soldiering on regardless
- The staff were soldiering on regardless of the criticism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- persevering
- More formal and neutral; it focuses on steady effort rather than the informal, slightly brave tone of 'soldiering on'.
- pressing on
- Similar in meaning, but it suggests moving forward with a task rather than enduring hardship.
- struggling on
- Emphasizes difficulty and lack of progress; 'soldiering on' sounds more determined and positive.
Opposites
Word family
- soldier noun
- A member of an army.
- soldierly adjective
- Behaving like a good soldier; brave and disciplined.
Commonly confused: soldiering on or soldiering?
soldiering on vs soldiering
This can mean serving as a soldier: He spent years soldiering in the army. 'Soldiering on' is different: it means continuing despite difficulty.
Practice
Even after the company lost its biggest client, the staff ___ on.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'soldiered on' fits the past-time sentence. 'Sold on' is unrelated (it means convinced), while 'soldiering' and 'soldiers' do not match the past tense or the subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soldiering on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.