allegiance

noun al·le·giance \ ə-ˈlē-jən(t)s \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: allegiance in a Sentence

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

And with his allegiances now firmly on the side of his creations, Dr. Ford reveals the grand plan for Westworld.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Westworld Season 2 Episode 7 Recap: The Coward Dr. Ford," 4 June 2018
The Ateltico Madrid star has been heavily linked with a switch of allegiances and although no deal has been agreed as of yet, Umtiti was prepared to admit the 27-year-old, who scored 29 goals this term, would fit in seamlessly at the club.

— SI.com, "Barcelona Star Talks Up Antoine Griezmann Arrival Despite His Own Contract Question Marks," 26 May 2018
Still, fans put the couple's romantic involvement aside and held fast to their allegiances.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "'American Idol' Fans Are Furious About the Results of Last Night's Finale," 22 May 2018
Of course, there’s little chance these organizations can take advantage of Facebook’s recent difficulties and convince consumers to shift their allegiances wholesale.

— micah l. sifry, The New Republic, "Escape From Facebookistan," 21 May 2018
Pedro Espinoza was a musician and a writer, a man who embraced his Peruvian heritage as well as his allegiance to the United States.

— anne m. hamilton, courant.com, "Extraordinary Life: A Musician And Fixture In Hartford Area's Peruvian Community," 20 May 2018
Now, many longtime fans are being forced to at least reconsider their allegiances one West tweet at a time.

— tatiana cirisano, Billboard, "Why It Took So Long to Take Kanye West's Trump Stance Seriously," 26 Apr. 2018
But what’s clear is that for West, political allegiance flows from style first, not substance.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Dangerous Confusion of Trump's Celebrity Fans," 23 Apr. 2018
Rippon doesn’t shy away from voicing his political allegiances, so his devotion to Stormy Daniels doesn’t come as a surprise.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "Adam Rippon’s Skin-Care Routine Involves an Unconventional Step," 19 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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.