hors de combat
Unfit for battle
Hors de combat (French, "out of the fight") describes someone who is unable to continue fighting due to injury, capture, or incapacitation.
The term appears most often in military and legal contexts, particularly in international humanitarian law, where combatants rendered hors de combat are entitled to protection from further attack.
The wounded soldier was hors de combat and had to be evacuated.
It extends figuratively to anyone sidelined from competition or activity.
- disabledMade unable to function
- injuredHaving sustained harm
- inoperativeNot able to function
- immobilizedMade unable to move
- casualtyPerson harmed in disaster
incapacitated · knocked out · taken out · out of action · wounded · walking wounded · Geneva Convention · humanitarian law · fallen · prisoner of war · medical evacuation · field hospital · red cross · out of commission · indisposed · battle fatigue · neutralized · convalescence
hors de combatcombat-ready
Prepared for armed conflict
battle-ready · operational · able-bodied · armed and dangerous · fighting fit
hors de combatactive duty
Current military employment status
deployed · in service · under arms · mobilized · enlisted
hors, combat, combatant, combatants, combative, combativeness, noncombatant, noncombatants