The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word COMBATANT
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
C
O
M
B
A
T
A
N
T
More clues leading to the result COMBATANT
- Person hugging cudgel in bed is fighter
- Soldier, 15, gets confused in bed
- Chap clutching club in bed is a fighter
- Fighter‘s not able to conceal decapitated marsupial
- Cricketer in unconscious state plays on here – he’s some fighter
- Fellow in bed holding club is disposed to fight
- Warrior and superhero raising millions during short function
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Warrior" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case warrior = combatant.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does COMBATANT mean?
COMBATANT noun- A person engaged in combat, often armed.
- Contending; disposed to contend.
- Involving combat.