bipartisan
adjective
-sən
Did you know?
Bipartisan is a two-part word. The first element is the prefix bi-, which means "two"; the second is partisan, a word that traces through Middle French and north Italian dialect to the Latin part- or pars, meaning "part." Partisan itself has a long history as a word in English. It has been used as a noun in reference to a firm adherent to a party, faction, or cause (especially one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance), since the 16th century. The related adjective (meaning "of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan") appeared in the 19th century, as did, after a space of some 50 years, the adjective bipartisan.
Examples of bipartisan in a Sentence
Sean Wilentz, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2009
Seasoned observers of Washington tend to dismiss such talk of national unity and bipartisan cooperation as meaningless political boilerplate …
—Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, 7 May 2007
Two recent national bipartisan blue-ribbon panels, the National Research Council Committee on Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children and the National Reading Panel, came to converging conclusions.
—Bennet A. Shawitz, New Republic, 6 Nov. 2000
The bill has bipartisan support.
Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
However, the bill faces uncertain prospects given prior bipartisan moves to prevent U.S. withdrawal from NATO.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
The bill does not cost anything for Congress and is a bipartisan effort in both chambers.
—Lillian Ashworth, Oc Register, 25 June 2025
On June 2, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing the anniversary of C-SPAN2, the channel devoted to the chamber’s sessions.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bipartisan
Cite this Entry
“Bipartisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bipartisan. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bipartisan
adjective
Share