countrymen

noun

plural of countryman
1
as in compatriots
a person living in or originally from the same country as another met a fellow Canadian countryman while traveling in France

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in peasants
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country though neither well-educated nor well-dressed, the countryman presented the farmers' case before the state legislature

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of countrymen The Khmer Rouge group that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 was accused of genocide for causing the deaths of so many countrymen from executions, starvation and lack of medical care due to its radical policies. — Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 The Khmer Rouge group that ruled Cambodia from 1975–79 was accused of genocide for causing the deaths of so many of their countrymen from executions, starvation, and lack of medical care due to its radical policies. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Disliked, even hated, by millions of his countrymen, and despised by possibly billions abroad, Trump has a target on his back. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 And his space adventure became a fleeting moment of hope just as Afghanistan descended into civil war, forcing millions of his countrymen and countrywomen into exile. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026 From garage tech to global powerhouse When Russia invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for foreign military aid from the West and exhorted his countrymen to build makeshift weapons for the resistance. — Thomas Nagorski, Time, 27 July 2026 That game kicked off at 2am Monday in England, as supporters watched their countrymen play with grit and chemistry in various weird and wonderful ways, an experience for the ages. — George Edwards, New York Times, 11 July 2026 Before matches along the East Coast, thousands of fans from France, England, Panama, Argentina and other countries have filled Times Square to sing, cheer and wave flags with their countrymen and countrywomen. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026 Haaland’s fellow countrymen have also been making the rounds. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for countrymen
  1. compatriots
  2. peasants
  3. citizens
  4. provincials
  5. hicks
  6. mountaineers
  7. clowns
  8. yokels
Noun
  • The 23-year-old’s name joins that of compatriots Ayako Okamoto (1984), Hinako Shibuno (2019) and last year’s champion golfer Miyū Yamashita — who failed to make the cut this weekend — on the silver trophy.
    — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • President Miguel Díaz-Canel read a congratulatory message from Castro to his compatriots at the rally, held in the eastern city of Pinar del Río.
    — Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of compatriots
Noun
  • Just as with the Romans, we peasants are treated to a spectacle to distract us from the reality of the abject impoverishment of the social safety net and the abandonment of the poor.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Long before the official ban on private farming was lifted in 1982, peasants across China spontaneously reintroduced private ownership in defiance of socialist doctrine.
    — Rainer Zitelmann, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of peasants
Noun
  • Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK as private citizens and will not be resuming any official duties on behalf of King Charles III.
    — Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Karol Nawrocki, representing the national-conservative camp and who eventually won the presidency, promised legislation that would prioritize Polish citizens over Ukrainians when accessing public services.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of citizens
Noun
  • Marlowe, the son of a poor Canterbury cobbler, and Shakespeare, the son of a Stratford glover and alderman, were both unlikely artistic geniuses, provincials in a nation in which social class was rigidly fixed.
    — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of provincials
Noun
  • So a bunch of hicks from Topeka were left up to our own devices of going down to Robert Hall and finding something that might be kind of cool.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of hicks
Noun
  • The bodies of two Belgian mountaineers who went missing in the Swiss Alps more than three decades ago have been found, officials said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The most recent example occurred July 26 when a hiker on the Trift Glacier discovered the remains of two mountaineers who had been missing since 1992 – according to Swiss police.
    — James Powel, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mountaineers
Noun
  • Yusef Toubassi sits with his grandson Masa, looking on as children run by with cheeks painted bright colors and others howling with joy as clowns spin them around.
    — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Aug. 2026
  • One morning during my stay, there were even clowns buzzing about—a thrill to receive a balloon poodle alongside my morning flat white.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • It was left to the feds in Boston to arrest Farwell, after Meatball’s local yokels adamantly refused to do anything other than try to broom the crime by one of their own.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Definition of yokels

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Cite this Entry

“Countrymen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/countrymen. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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