standard-bearer

noun

stan·​dard-bear·​er ˈstan-dərd-ˌber-ər 

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

Now, large parts of the city's democratic socialist left no longer see her as their standard-bearer, even though she is routinely portrayed by critics as the face of that coalition. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026

Without Fedorov in charge of the ministry of defense, Ukraine’s revolution in warfare will lose its standard-bearer and a lot of its momentum—just when those innovations appeared to be paying off. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

The standard-bearers are Framber Valdez, Francisco Liriano and Wandy Rodríguez. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 15 July 2026

The message is a remarkable one coming from the state’s Democratic standard-bearer, who will likely be expected to unify left-leaning voters behind the party’s eventual nominee in the aftermath of a contentious primary. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for standard-bearer

• bearer
• carer
• error
• fairer
• ferrer
• rarer
• sharer
• terror
• wearer
• cupbearer
• declarer
• preparer

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