communist

noun com·mu·nist \ ˈkäm-yə-nist , -yü- \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Examples: communist in a Sentence

Definition of communist

1 : an adherent or advocate of communism

2 capitalized : communard

3 a capitalized : a member of a Communist party or movement

b often capitalized : an adherent or advocate of a Communist government, party, or movement

4 often capitalized : one held to engage in left-wing, subversive, or revolutionary activities

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communist

adjective, often capitalized

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communistic

play \ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-stik, -yü-\ adjective, often capitalized

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communistically

play \ˌkäm-yə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē, -yü-\ adverb

See communist defined for English-language learners

See communist defined for kids

Examples of communist in a Sentence

communists were plotting an overthrow of the government

Recent Examples of communist from the Web

Zhang, a charismatic entrepreneur, conveyed a curious admixture of economic determinism and capitalism that paired well with the communist and Chinese flags that flanked his desk.

— michael d. breidenbach, The Atlantic, "Raising the American Flag Made in China," 4 July 2018
Economists and businesspeople say Beijing is unlikely to give ground on a strategy seen by communist leaders as the path to higher incomes and to restoring China's rightful role as a global leader.

— joe mcdonald, chicagotribune.com, "TVs, robots, soybeans on front lines of U.S.-China trade spat," 15 June 2018
Trump can look back to President Richard Nixon's 1972 trip to China, when the ardent anti-communist defied conventional wisdom to meet Chairman Mao Zedong, irrevocably shifting the Cold War balance and setting China on a path to opening up.

— robert birsel, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump, Kim launch historic Singapore summit with a handshake," 12 June 2018
West Berlin, the part of the former German capital occupied by the United States, Britain and France, was an island inside communist East Germany.

— chris foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Imprisoned for months as an accused spy, then released — it happened in 1968, too," 5 June 2018
But the lack of chemistry between Merkel, a scientist who grew up in communist East Germany, and Trump, a billionaire with a weakness for beauty pageants, is not new.

— katrin bennhold, BostonGlobe.com, "Merkel is next European leader to visit Trump, but they’ll skip the bonhomie," 26 Apr. 2018
Well, the reason is that in Livorno [the neighboring town] the Italian communist party was founded.

— jay mcinerney, Town & Country, "How a wine making dynasty challenged the old ways in order to save itself.," 11 Oct. 2016
Bessie is fearful that Mary will be viewed as a communist in America and Mary is concerned that Deborah will marry a non-Jew.

— marvin glassman, Jewish Journal, "Mother, daughter team in drama 'From Door to Door'," 6 June 2018
Nixon tried to smear Douglas as a communist sympathizer.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "In memoriam through June 1: ‘Pong’ game creator, political prankster who got Nixon," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'communist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of communist

see communism

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1840

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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communist Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

COMMUNIST Defined for English Language Learners

communist

noun

Definition of communist for English Language Learners

: a person who believes in communism or is a member of a political party that supports communism

COMMUNIST Defined for Kids

communist

noun com·mu·nist \ ˈkä-myə-nəst \

Definition of communist for Students

: a person who supports communism

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communist

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communist

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COMMUNIST Defined for English Language Learners

communist

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communist

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