\
Definition of brownshirt
Examples of brownshirt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Words, as the historian Thucydides warned 2,400 years ago, habitually change their meanings to reflect passing political orthodoxy — and thugs, commissars, and brownshirts oversee the charade. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Linguistic McCarthyism," 31 Aug. 2017 At the weekend march, the infamous hoods and robes of Klan rallies or brownshirts of neo-Nazis were hard to find, with many dressing like Mr. LaPorte. — Ben Kesling, WSJ, "The New Right-Wing Extremism: Unified, Tech-Savvy and Emboldened," 16 Aug. 2017 This is a particularly strange move for someone said to be a modern brownshirt/fascist/crypto-Nazi. — William Mcgurn, WSJ, "‘America First’ Takes On a New Meaning," 23 Jan. 2017 To the top left, a cake version of every brownshirt’s favorite space ship, Serenity, followed by a Yellow Submarine that is just far too beautiful to eat. — John Brownlee, WIRED, "Yellow Submarine and Serenity by Charm City Cakes," 10 Jan. 2007 Security forces and brownshirts, working together to crush dissent with brutal violence. — Jack Holmes, Esquire, "Here's Video Evidence of Authoritarianism in Washington, D.C.," 17 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brownshirt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on brownshirt
What made you want to look up brownshirt? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Original Meanings Quiz
-
- Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Original Meanings Quiz
A quiz for the pedantic and those annoyed by them!
Take the quiz -
A Green Quiz
How many questions can you answer about the word "green"?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
Citation
Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?
Play the game
Share brownshirt
Resources for brownshirt