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

The tech professional was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and to see a compatriot organize such an event with all the big-name speakers affected him. —Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

Mitrovic shifted to coaching in 2011, serving as an assistant coach for several Serbian club and youth national teams before joining the staff of his compatriot Veljko Paunovic at the Chicago Fire from 2016-19. —Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 5 Nov. 2025

The Estonian Festival Orchestra, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, under the direction of Paavo Järvi and Tõnu Kaljuste, travelled from Estonia to honor their compatriot. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Alison Knowles, a key member of the Fluxus movement whose focus on the haptic set her work apart from that of her compatriots, died at her home in New York on October 29. —News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025

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