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

Shortly after the murder, when Boelter’s name began circulating on Saturday, various conservative outlets and social media accounts played up that Walz had appointed Boelter to a state bipartisan workforce advisory board. —Yezen Saadah, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Though no lawmakers were wounded in that instance, more than 100 people were injured amid the storming of the building and at least seven deaths were tied to the attack, according to a bipartisan Senate report. —Chantelle Lee, Time, 16 June 2025

Schumer said Sunday that the bipartisan briefing would concern security for Senate members and the country more broadly. —Kaia Hubbard june 16, CBS News, 16 June 2025

In both the state Senate and Assembly, lawmakers took a bipartisan approach in their responses. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bipartisan

• nonpartisan
• artisan
• partisan

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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