✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

standard-bearer

noun

stan·​dard-bear·​er ˈstan-dərd-ˌber-ər How to pronounce standard-bearer (audio)
Synonyms of standard-bearernext
1
: one who bears a standard or banner
2
: one that leads an organization, movement, or party
a standard-bearer for political reform

Examples of standard-bearer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After his mother married a British major following her first husband’s death, the family moved to Nottingham, and Stoppard became the standard-bearer for a certain kind of Englishness. Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025 With the Black Panther and Creed films backing him up, this feels like the exact right time for Hollywood to hold him up as their standard-bearer. Joe Reid, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2025 Meanwhile, the country remains a standard-bearer for oil, both in business and at the diplomatic negotiating table. Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025 His campaign has drawn high-profile endorsements from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, reinforcing his status as the left’s standard-bearer in the race. Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for standard-bearer

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of standard-bearer was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Standard-bearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard-bearer. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

standard-bearer

noun
stan·​dard-bear·​er
ˈstan-dərd-ˌbar-ər
-ˌber-
1
: one who bears a standard or banner
2
: the leader of an organization or movement

More from Merriam-Webster on standard-bearer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!