par·ti·san
ˈpär-tə-zən 
-sən
-sən
-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 trains—
Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
Springfield (Massachusetts) Union1
: 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
Peter BeinartThe editorial page of the newspaper captured the mood of an America frustrated by partisan division …—Joseph Cress
Joseph CressThe 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
Bernard A. Weisberger2
: of, carried on by, or being military partisans
partisan fighters
partisan warfare
par·ti·san
ˈpär-tə-zən
-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.
Synonyms
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
Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
The vote was largely partisan, with 204 Republicans voting yea and 183 Democrats voting nay (an equal number of Republicans and Democrats—15 each—sat this one out).
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Gary Langer, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
There are some hardcore partisans who'd just like their party to run everything.
—CBS News, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for partisan 
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.
Adjective
But Evans ran on partisan lines anyway, playing up his Republican affiliation and appealing to the MAGA faction of Arizona's electorate.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
The vote was largely partisan, with 204 Republicans voting yea and 183 Democrats voting nay (an equal number of Republicans and Democrats—15 each—sat this one out).
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
Political polarization in this country is such that partisans look at each other with mutual incomprehension.
—Gary Langer, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
There are some hardcore partisans who'd just like their party to run everything.
—CBS News, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for partisan
Dictionary Entries Near partisan
Cite this Entry
“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/partisan. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share