bipartisan

adjective

bi·​par·​ti·​san (ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən How to pronounce bipartisan (audio)
-sən,
-ˌzan,
 chiefly British  ˌbī-ˌpä-tə-ˈzan
: of, relating to, or involving members of two parties
a bipartisan commission
specifically : marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties
bipartisan support for the bill
bipartisanism noun
bipartisanship noun

Did you know?

Bipartisan is a two-part word. The first element is the prefix bi-, which means "two"; the second is partisan, a word that traces through Middle French and north Italian dialect to the Latin part- or pars, meaning "part." Partisan itself has a long history as a word in English. It has been used as a noun in reference to a firm adherent to a party, faction, or cause (especially one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance), since the 16th century. The related adjective (meaning "of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan") appeared in the 19th century, as did, after a space of some 50 years, the adjective bipartisan.

Examples of bipartisan in a Sentence

In his first Inaugural Address, Jefferson sounded a conciliatory, bipartisan note, averring that "we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists"—a trope copied in many inaugural addresses to follow. Sean Wilentz, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2009
Seasoned observers of Washington tend to dismiss such talk of national unity and bipartisan cooperation as meaningless political boilerplate … Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, 7 May 2007
Two recent national bipartisan blue-ribbon panels, the National Research Council Committee on Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children and the National Reading Panel, came to converging conclusions. Bennet A. Shawitz, New Republic, 6 Nov. 2000
The bill has bipartisan support.
Recent Examples on the Web The bill, which saw bipartisan support, would require the social media app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell off the the immensely popular app within six months or face a nationwide ban. Mariana Alfaro, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 And Schumer directed committee chairs to begin working with Republicans on a bipartisan China competition bill. Kevin Freking, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 The House bill is likely to face obstacles in the Senate, where a bipartisan effort last year to restrict TikTok petered out. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2024 Introduced on March 5, the bipartisan bill passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee with a unanimous 50-member vote on March 7. The Indianapolis Star, 12 Mar. 2024 Ultimately, the bipartisan commision's six members will determine whether the recall may proceed. Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 From the sidelines as a candidate, Trump has already irritated some Republican lawmakers after derailing a bipartisan emergency spending deal that would have significantly overhauled border and migrant policy. USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 But Congress is moving ahead with a potential ban on TikTok, with a bipartisan bill expected to make its way to the House for a vote very soon. Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 His Cooper Davis Act, which requires social media companies to tell law enforcement about social media accounts that are selling drugs, has also picked up bipartisan support. Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bipartisan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bipartisan was in 1891

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near bipartisan

Cite this Entry

“Bipartisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bipartisan. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bipartisan

adjective
bi·​par·​ti·​san (ˈ)bī-ˈpärt-ə-zən How to pronounce bipartisan (audio)
-sən
: representing, made up of, or organized by members of two political parties
a bipartisan foreign policy

More from Merriam-Webster on bipartisan

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!