comrade

noun

com·​rade ˈkäm-ˌrad 

-rəd

especially British -ˌrād

1

a

: an intimate friend or associate : companion

"… reflecting upon all my comrades that were drowned …"

—Daniel Defoe

b

: a fellow soldier

comrades in battle

2

[from its use as a form of address by communists] : communist

comradeliness

ˈkäm-ˌrad-lē-nəs 

noun

comradely adjective

comradeship

ˈkäm-ˌrad-ˌship 

noun

Did you know?

In Latin, camara or camera denoted a vaulted ceiling or roof. Later, the word simply mean “room, chamber” and was inherited by many European languages with that meaning. In the Spanish, the word became cámara, and a derivative of that was camarada “a group of soldiers quartered in a room” and hence “fellow soldier, companion.” That Spanish word was borrowed into French as camarade and then into Elizabethan English as both camerade and comerade.

Synonyms of comrade

• associate
• colleague
• friend
• buddy
• accomplice
• fellow
• companion
• peer
• classmate
• compatriot
• cohort

Examples of comrade in a Sentence

He enjoys spending time with his old army comrades.

the boy, and two others who are known to be his comrades, are wanted for questioning by the police

Recent Examples on the Web

Taking the Scenic Route Home After their successful sneak-attack pillaging of Troy, Odysseus’ comrade Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his men pack up and head back to Sparta. — Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Soon, countless comrades would follow, heading for Mexico, New York, Martinique, and other locales. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026

Fisher and his comrades are by far the biggest selling point. — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Unlike most, Pumphrey and four comrades received a cursory burial beneath a thin layer of dirt. — Allen Breed, Fortune, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French camarade group sleeping in one room, roommate, companion, from Old Spanish camarada, from cámara room, from Late Latin camera, camara — more at chamber

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing comrade

• brother/sister/comrade in arms
• comrade in arms

Rhymes for comrade

• dryad
• dyad
• forbad
• grandad
• granddad
• keypad
• nomad
• notepad
• postgrad
• sinbad
• tetrad
• triad

Kids Definition

comrade

noun

com·​rade ˈkäm-ˌrad 

-rəd

: a close friend or associate

comradely adjective

comradeship

-ˌship 

noun