compatriot

noun

com·​pa·​tri·​ot kəm-ˈpā-trē-ət 

käm-,

-trē-ˌät,

 chiefly British  -ˈpa-

1

: a person born, residing, or holding citizenship in the same country as another

We watched our compatriots compete in the Olympics.

2

: companion, colleague

her compatriots in academia

theater compatriots

compatriotic

kəm-ˌpā-trē-ˈä-tik 

ˌkäm-

 chiefly British  -ˌpa-

adjective

Synonyms

• countryman
• landsman

Examples of compatriot in a Sentence

We watched our compatriots compete in the Olympics.

the famous actor and his theater compatriots

Recent Examples on the Web

At American universities, Chinese students often feel conscious of the presence of more nationalistic compatriots and, by extension, the state. —Han Zhang, The New Yorker, 11 June 2024

Her adherence to science was evident from the early days of the pandemic as López Obrador defied social distance recommendations and toured the country — pressing the flesh with admirers, hugging and kissing supporters and urging his compatriots to keep eating in restaurants. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024

Today’s Internet-savvy Indians are continents removed from their compatriots who populate Silicon Valley, never mind the English-speaking elites who founded the republic. —Vinay Sitapati, Foreign Affairs, 24 Nov. 2021

And now, on Sept. 18, 2020, with the news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Dannenfelser and her compatriots could capture another majority. —Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 28 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

French compatriote, from Late Latin compatriota, from Latin com- + Late Latin patriota fellow countryman — more at patriot

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

compatriot

noun

com·​pa·​tri·​ot kəm-ˈpā-trē-ət 

käm-,

-trē-ˌät

: a person from one's own country : countryman