allegiance

noun al·le·giance \ ə-ˈlē-jən(t)s \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of allegiance

1 a : the obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lord

b (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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allegiant

play \-jənt\ adjective

See allegiance defined for English-language learners

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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

Most people continue to live, go to school, and socialize with those of their same religion and/or national allegiance: Protestant unionists and Catholic nationalists remain a people largely apart.

— kevin cullen, BostonGlobe.com, "Irish hopes may be stopped at the border," 8 Apr. 2018
Of the ten biggest supermarkets in China by market share, only three have yet to claim a broader allegiance to either of the Messrs Ma.

— The Economist, "Online retailers go offline in China," 5 Apr. 2018
The city’s proud allegiance to the unconventional is a big part of the Big Easy’s charm.

— jay gentile, chicagotribune.com, "4 bars with a twist in New Orleans, a city that embraces eccentricity," 2 Apr. 2018
Part of that is natural allegiances, with Chicago one of the biggest draws for Big Ten graduates, and part of that is that Loyola just hasn’t been very good historically.

— nancy armour, USA TODAY, "Final Four: Move aside Bears, Cubs and Blackhawks, Loyola is Chicago's new favorite team," 29 Mar. 2018
Salman has pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting Mateen's allegiance to the Islamic State.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Pulse nightclub trial for Noor Salman: What to know about the Orlando shooter's widow," 28 Mar. 2018
Of course, these crowds had pledged undying allegiance to Mugabe, too, only weeks before.

— karan mahajan, The New Republic, "After the Strongman," 26 Mar. 2018
Beltrame came face-to-face with 25 year-old Radouane Lakdim—a terrorist wielding a real gun in a supermarket and claiming allegiance to Islamic State.

— stacy meichtry, WSJ, "French Officer Slain by Terrorist Is Hailed for Saving Others," 24 Mar. 2018
At least two people were killed after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group opened fire and took hostages at a supermarket in southwest France.

— lisa marie segarra, Time, "3 Hostages Dead, Suspect Killed by Police: The Latest on the French Hostage Siege," 23 Mar. 2018

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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allegiance Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of allegiance

fidelity, allegiance, fealty, loyalty, devotion, piety mean faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty. fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty.