bipartisan

adjective

bi·​par·​ti·​san (ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən 

-sən,

-ˌzan,

 chiefly British  ˌbī-ˌpä-tə-ˈzan

: of, relating to, or involving members of two parties

a bipartisan commission

specifically : marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties

bipartisan support for the bill

bipartisanism

(ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zə-ˌni-zəm 

-sə-

noun

bipartisanship

(ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən-ˌship 

-sən-

noun

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

In his first Inaugural Address, Jefferson sounded a conciliatory, bipartisan note, averring that "we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists"—a trope copied in many inaugural addresses to follow. —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.

Recent Examples on the Web

The push to ban children from using social media has become a bipartisan policy in Australia, after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton previously said that the Coalition would similarly seek to ban children and teenagers under 16 years of age. —Sara Merican, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024

According to the survey, only 29% of brands have bipartisan appeal, with most brands leaning either conservative or liberal. —Allen Adamson, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

The result was a centrist and bipartisan compact behind liberal internationalism. —Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2024

She's also railed against Republicans for rejecting a bipartisan border bill that would have tightened asylum rules and implemented other immigration restrictions while also increasing resources to improve legal immigration pathways. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

bipartisan

adjective

bi·​par·​ti·​san (ˈ)bī-ˈpärt-ə-zən 

-sən

: representing, made up of, or organized by members of two political parties

a bipartisan foreign policy