communist

noun

com·​mu·​nist ˈkäm-yə-nist 

-yü-

1

: an adherent or advocate of communism

2

Communist : communard

3

a

Communist : a member of a Communist party or movement

b

often Communist : an adherent or advocate of a Communist government, party, or movement

4

often Communist : one held to engage in left-wing, subversive, or revolutionary activities

communist adjective

often Communist

communistic

ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-stik 

-yü-

adjective

often Communistic

communistically

ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-yü-

adverb

Synonyms of communist

• socialist

Examples of communist in a Sentence

communists were plotting an overthrow of the government

Recent Examples on the Web

Apollo went to the moon to demonstrates the United States' — and democracy's — ability to accomplish more than the Soviet Union and the communists could do. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026

And then communists in Vietnam. —Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026

Communists in the United States too. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Cuba's national electric grid collapsed on March 16, the second time in a month that has seen a series of outages, including one sparking a rare violent protest in the communist-run country. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see communism

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing communist

• anti-communist

Rhymes for communist

• anticommunist

Kids Definition

communist

noun

com·​mu·​nist ˈkäm-yə-nəst 

1

: a person who believes in communism

2

capitalized : a member or follower of a Communist party or movement

communist adjective often capitalized

communistic

ˌkäm-yə-ˈnis-tik 

adjective often capitalized