Definition of allegiance
1a : the obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lordb (1) : the fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government I pledge allegiance to my country. (2) : the obligation of an alien to the government under which the alien resides
2 : devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause allegiance to a political party
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Examples of allegiance in a Sentence
He owes allegiance to them for all the help they have given him.
Both candidates are working hard to convince voters to switch allegiances.
Recent Examples of allegiance from the Web
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Hapilon declared allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014 and reportedly formed an alliance with other militants under the group’s aegis.
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After his performance, the pop-rock vet made his own allegiances well known by putting on a Warriors cap.
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The family has changed Sox allegiances from White to Red since Travis, the 2011 Chicago Tribune high school baseball player of the year, was picked by Boston in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Indiana.
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After switching political allegiances in college, Pence later ran for Congress twice, and lost twice.
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Hapilon, an Islamic preacher, was once a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group who pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014.
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So now Uhtred has to get revenge on both the Danes and the English, while also feeling an allegiance to both sides.
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Hapilon, an Islamic preacher, was once a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2014.
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Encouraged by the Islamic State's setbacks in Iraq and Syria, al-Qaida is making a play for the allegiance of the Islamic State's disaffected followers as well as legions of sympathizers around the world, analysts say.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allegiance'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of allegiance
Middle English aligeaunce, from Anglo-French allegeance, alteration of ligeance, from lige liege
First Known Use: 15th century
Synonym Discussion of allegiance
Other Government and Politics Terms
ALLEGIANCE Defined for English Language Learners
allegiance
playDefinition of allegiance for English Language Learners
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: loyalty to a person, country, group, etc.
ALLEGIANCE Defined for Kids
allegiance
playDefinition of allegiance for Students
: loyalty and service to a group, country, or idea I pledge allegiance to my country.
Learn More about allegiance
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for allegiance Spanish Central: Translation of allegiance Nglish: Translation of allegiance for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of allegiance for Arabic speakers
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