Definition of unionist
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Recent Examples of unionist from the Web
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Opposition parties, unionists, analysts, and even average citizens who dared to contradict the official party line on everything from the Palestinians to bread prices were banned.
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The Democratic Unionists have agreed to support the Tories on key votes.
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Under the terms of the deal, both sides of the political divide — the predominantly Protestant unionists and the mainly Catholic nationalists republicans — hold equal positions in power.
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LONDON — More than two weeks after Britain's Conservatives lost a parliamentary majority in a snap election, Prime Minister Theresa May's party struck a deal Monday with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists to prop up a minority government.
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In 1920, guerrilla warfare between what became known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and unionists led to the partitioning of Northern Ireland and the future Republic of Ireland.
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The U.K. slipped further into political limbo, with no sign of a deal between the Conservative Party and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionists and calls for a cross-party consensus on Brexit.
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It was formed as a protest party under the late Protestant Rev. Ian Paisley, a hardcore unionist who was one of the U.K.’s most polarizing figures.
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The last time a Conservative government was dependent on unionists was in 1996, when then Prime Minister John Major's government was propped up by the Ulster Unionist Party.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unionist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of unionist
1722
UNIONIST Defined for English Language Learners
unionist
playDefinition of unionist for English Language Learners
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: someone who supports labor unions
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Unionist : a supporter of the Union (sense 4b) during the American Civil War
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Unionist : a person who believes that Northern Ireland should remain a part of the United Kingdom
Learn More about unionist
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Nglish: Translation of unionist for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of unionist for Arabic speakers
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