1
: a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking : clique
The committee soon split into factions.
2
: party spirit especially when marked by dissension
Faction, or the irreconcilable conflict of parties …—
Ernest Barker
Ernest Barker
: making : -fication
petrifaction
Examples of faction in a Sentence
Noun
The committee soon split into factions.
several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area
Recent Examples on the Web
Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
No faction is more divided than the British, however, with benign diplomat Thomas Hopkins (Billy Howle) at odds with the almost feral Army captain Orde Wingate (Aramayo), reputed father of the modern IDF.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
The Gulf states stressed that attacks launched from Iraqi territory by armed factions and proxies loyal to Iran were a particular grievance, and a breach of international law.
—Holly Ellyatt,emma Graham, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
In fact, those attacks have been carried out by a disruptive faction of the army that is not under his control.
—Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for faction
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
And years later, when the group splintered into increasingly militant factions, some took part in a disastrous bank robbery that killed an innocent guard and two police officers—three men who were just doing their jobs that day, and who left behind their own kids, their own families.
—Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
No faction is more divided than the British, however, with benign diplomat Thomas Hopkins (Billy Howle) at odds with the almost feral Army captain Orde Wingate (Aramayo), reputed father of the modern IDF.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
The Gulf states stressed that attacks launched from Iraqi territory by armed factions and proxies loyal to Iran were a particular grievance, and a breach of international law.
—Holly Ellyatt,emma Graham, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
In fact, those attacks have been carried out by a disruptive faction of the army that is not under his control.
—Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for faction
Cite this Entry
“Faction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faction. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
