partisan

1 of 3

noun (1)

par·​ti·​san ˈpär-tə-zən How to pronounce partisan (audio) -sən How to pronounce partisan (audio)
-ˌzan,
 chiefly British  ˌpär-tə-ˈzan
variants or less commonly partizan
1
: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person
especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance
political partisans who see only one side of the problem
2
a
: a member of a body of detached light troops making forays and harassing an enemy
Peasant partisans assaulted the French army.
b
: a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines
Polish partisans had blown up two trainsSpringfield (Massachusetts) Union
partisanly
ˈpär-tə-zən-lē How to pronounce partisan (audio)
-sən-
-ˌzan-
 chiefly British  ˌpär-tə-ˈzan-
adverb

partisan

2 of 3

adjective

1
: feeling, showing, or deriving from strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person : exhibiting, characterized by, or resulting from partisanship
partisan politics
partisan loyalty
Secularism is indeed correlated with greater tolerance of gay marriage and pot legalization. But it's also making America's partisan clashes more brutal.Peter Beinart
The editorial page of the newspaper captured the mood of an America frustrated by partisan division …Joseph Cress
The modern Democratic party may honor the cerebral Jefferson as one of its founders, but the true paternity lies with the fiercely partisan Jackson. He made it a fighting electoral force.Bernard A. Weisberger
2
: of, carried on by, or being military partisans
partisan fighters
partisan warfare

partisan

3 of 3

noun (2)

par·​ti·​san ˈpär-tə-zən How to pronounce partisan (audio)
-sən
variants or partizan
: a weapon of the 16th and 17th centuries with long shaft and broad blade

Did you know?

Partisan and Politics

A partisan is someone who supports one part or party. Sometimes the support takes the form of military action, as when guerrilla fighters take on government forces. But partisan is actually most often used as an adjective, usually referring to support of a political party. so if you're accused of being too partisan, or of practicing partisan politics, it means you're mainly interested in boosting your own party and attacking the other one.

Choose the Right Synonym for partisan

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

Examples of partisan in a Sentence

Noun (1) partisans of the charismatic leader refuse to tolerate any criticism of him at all a partisan of the revolution who was even willing to give her life for it she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point Adjective a shamelessly partisan reporter covering the primary campaign
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In the meantime, however, the crypto coalition that Lehane helped to build has begun fraying—a victim of the same partisan divides that plague the rest of the nation. Charles Duhigg, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 Past voting patterns reveal a deepening partisan divide, with red areas getting redder and blue areas getting bluer. Suhail Bhat, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024 The Supreme Court was packed with partisan and reactionary justices when Mitch McConnell denied President Obama an appointment and jammed through a third Trump appointee in the last few weeks of his administration. Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 4 Oct. 2024 The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of keeping a proposition seeking to remove partisan primary elections on the ballot despite a dispute over signatures used to qualify the measure. Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for partisan 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'partisan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French partisan, from north Italian dialect partiźan, from part part, party, from Latin part-, pars part

Noun (2)

Middle French partisane, from north Italian dialect partiźana, feminine of partiźan

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1542, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of partisan was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near partisan

Cite this Entry

“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisan. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

partisan

noun
par·​ti·​san
ˈpärt-ə-zən
1
: a person who is strongly devoted to a particular cause or group
2
partisan adjective
partisanship
-ˌship
noun

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