republican

noun

re·​pub·​li·​can ri-ˈpə-bli-kən 

plural republicans

1

Republican plural Republicans

a

: a member of the Republican Party of the U.S. : a member of one of the two major political parties in the U.S. that is usually associated with reduced taxation, with limited government regulation of business, finance, industry, education, and policing, with strong national defense, and with opposition to abortion, affirmative action, gun control, and policies and laws that are viewed as challenging traditional social and family hierarchies and structure

Note: Republicans are associated with conservatism and the political Right (see right entry 2 sense 7a). The Republican Party is frequently referred to as the GOP, which stands for "Grand Old Party."

compare democrat

b

in U.S. history : a member of the Democratic-Republican Party of the U.S.

2

chiefly British

a

: one that favors or supports a republican (see republican entry 2 sense 2a) form of government

For decades, a debate has raged in Britain, pitting republicans, who wish to do away with the royal family, against monarchists and others who support them.

—Mary Pflum

b

Republican plural Republicans : one who favors or supports the joining of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland into a single republic

Examples of republican in a Sentence

Our state representative is a Republican.

The state's voters are mostly Republicans.

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond the governor's race, Iowa also has an open Senate contest after Ernst declined to seek reelection, drawing interest from Democrats, though Republicans likely have a sizable edge. —Joe Walsh, CBS News, 3 June 2026

The fluid dynamics of the race also led Democratic voters to hold onto their ballots for longer than usual and post a flurry of late returns, while Republicans voted earlier, allowing Hilton an early lead. —Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

Republicans currently have 53 seats. —Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 3 June 2026

If Republicans prevail in the Supreme Court case, only ballots received on or before Election Day would be valid. —Emily Chang, ABC News, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing republican

• anti-republican

Rhymes for republican

• publican

Kids Definition

republican

1 of 2 adjective

re·​pub·​li·​can ri-ˈpəb-li-kən 

1

a

: of, relating to, or resembling a republic

b

: favoring or supporting a republic

2

capitalized

a

: democratic-republican

b

: of, relating to, or being one of the two major political parties in the U.S.

republican

2 of 2 noun

1

: one that favors or supports a republican form of government

2

capitalized

a

: a member of a political party favoring republicanism

b

: a member of the Democratic-Republican party or of the Republican party of the U.S.