Tory
a member of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.
a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored royal authority over Parliament and the preservation of the existing social and political order: succeeded by the Conservative party.
(often lowercase) an advocate of conservative principles; one opposed to reform or radicalism.
a person who supported the British cause in the American Revolution; a loyalist.
(in the 17th century) a dispossessed Irishman who resorted to banditry, especially after the invasion of Oliver Cromwell and suppression of the royalist cause (1649–52).
a male or female given name.
of, belonging to, or characteristic of the Tories.
being a Tory.
(sometimes lowercase) opposed to reform or radicalism; conservative.
Origin of Tory
1Other definitions for -tory (2 of 3)
a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, originally adjectival derivatives of agent nouns ending in -tor (predatory); also forming adjectival derivatives directly from verbs (obligatory; transitory).
Origin of -tory
2Other definitions for -tory (3 of 3)
a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, usually derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tor or directly from verbs, denoting a place or object appropriate for the activity of the verb: dormitory; repository.
Origin of -tory
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use Tory in a sentence
Newmark was approached online by “Sophie Wittams,” a blond, flirty, “twentysomething Tory PR girl.”
U.K. Tabloid Absurdly Claims ‘Public Interest’ Served in Politician’s Sex Sting | Lizzie Crocker | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe map is mostly blue for Tory, after the last national election, when the Conservatives gained.
Of the 59 MPs elected to represent Scotland in the current U.K. Parliament, only one is a Tory.
Anarchy for the U.K.? British Leaders Panicking Over Scottish Vote for Independence | Nico Hines | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“A Tory minister stepped out of the shadows to confront me,” Danczuk wrote in The Guardian.
Alleged U.K. Parliamentary Pedophile Ring Hushed Up for Decades | Nico Hines | July 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSniffing Tory conspiracies under every Whitehall bed, ours specially?
Iran’s Top Spy Is the Modern-Day Karla, John Le Carré’s Villainous Mastermind | Michael Weiss | July 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Well, 'Utchinson done very well; it's a strong Tory seat, is Croydon.
The Tory gentry, who were powerful in all the counties, had special grievances.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayAt last some ingenious Tory thought of a device by which it might be possible to strike the enemy without wounding friends.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayI defend civilisation for the thing it is, for the thing it has come to be, the standpoint of a real old Tory.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonIt's a fact that the Tory total figures out much larger than the Liberal Unionist.
British Dictionary definitions for Tory
/ (ˈtɔːrɪ) /
a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada
a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s
an American supporter of the British cause; loyalist: Compare Whig
(sometimes not capital) an ultraconservative or reactionary
(in the 17th century) an Irish Roman Catholic, esp an outlaw who preyed upon English settlers
of, characteristic of, or relating to Tories
(sometimes not capital) ultraconservative or reactionary
Origin of Tory
1Derived forms of Tory
- Toryish, adjective
- Toryism, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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