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 of compatriot

• countryman
• citizen
• national

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

His female compatriot Fu Shuang in a separate den room was far more amenable for photo ops, happily munching stalks of bamboo near glass windows separating her from the mob of press. — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Like Biden, in this cycle Lula found that a disconcerting number of his compatriots were unmoved by his calls to save democracy from those who would seek to undermine it—or didn’t buy into his rhetoric in the first place. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

Crystal also praised Short while discussing his SNL compatriots. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2026

Chwalinska beat six-time major winner and Polish compatriot Iga Swiatek in the semifinals and, along with 1,000 ranking points, earns $665,000 in prize money. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for compatriot

• patriot

Kids Definition

compatriot

noun

com·​pa·​tri·​ot kəm-ˈpā-trē-ət 

käm-, 

-trē-ˌät

: a person from one's own country : countryman