noun
Usage
What does allegiance mean? Allegiance is loyalty or faithfulness, especially to a person or cause.Allegiance usually refers to a loyalty that is considered extremely important, such as to a country or leader.If you went to school in the United States, you’re familiar with the Pledge of Allegiance, which is an oath of loyalty to the country recited by schoolchildren and at patriotic ceremonies. This type of formal loyalty is what’s implied by allegiance.The adjective form of allegiance is allegiant.Example: Her supporters’ allegiance never lessened, even in the aftermath of the scandal.
Related Words
See loyalty.
Other Word Forms
- nonallegiance noun
- overallegiance noun
Etymology
Origin of allegiance
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English aliegiaunce, equivalent to a- probably a- 5 + liege liege + -aunce -ance; compare Middle French ligeance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He concluded by affirming his allegiance to the Constitution and to the judiciary’s authority to say what the law is.
From Salon
In 2019, at the age of just 15, she switched her sporting allegiance from the US to China, wanting to "inspire millions of young people in Beijing - my mother's birthplace" before the 2022 Olympics.
From BBC
Gu was born and raised in San Francisco and started her sporting career representing the United States, only to switch allegiance to China -- where her mother is from -- in 2019.
From Barron's
Born in the French Alps to an English mother and father, she was initially an alpine skier and was downhill British champion in 2015 - but choosing her allegiance was never given much thought.
From BBC
The US-born athlete, who switched allegiance to China in 2019, said it felt special to win her fifth Olympic medal just ahead of the Lunar New Year in China.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
