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
From the M-W Editors
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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Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) during a three-hour standoff.
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And now, Streep has officially pledged her allegiance to the Obamas by debuting a snazzy custom accessory emblazoned with their visages.
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A perceived allegiance between Leo Varadkar and Justin Trudeau during a photo opp is a good thing and so are their respective penchants for menswear (more of this, please, world leaders!).
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Huntsville terrorism suspect Aziz Sayyed pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned to bomb a law enforcement building in Madison County, a prosecutor told a judge this afternoon.
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Madame’s growing allegiance to him in the world before the play that spawns the maids’ growing dissatisfaction with her as the play begins.
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The coasts have been flipped, with the issue now whether the Utah Jazz can keep free-agent forward Gordon Hayward from flipping allegiances.
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Sands says American presidents have long reciprocated that allegiance, by including Canada in the founding of the UN, International Monetary Fund, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
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I'm never asked to pledge my allegiance between people who used to be child stars, who were also sitcom stars mostly, and people who used to be sitcom stars, who were frequently child stars.
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
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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