comrade
Americannoun
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an associate or companion
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a fellow member of a political party, esp a fellow Communist or socialist
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of comrade
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French camarade, from Spanish camarada “group of soldiers billeted together,” equivalent to cámar(a) “room” (from Latin; see camera 1) + -ada, from Latin -āta, feminine of -ātus past participle suffix ( see -ate 1)
Explanation
Your close friend or associate is your comrade. Teenagers often prefer seeing movies with a comrade or two, rather than with their parents. Comrade sometimes refers to a fellow soldier, and it is found in the phrase "comrade-in-arms." Movies about World War II comrades-in-arms often show them risking their lives to rescue each other. Comrade is also the form of address for members of the Communist party. If Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin ran into other at a party, Stalin would say, "Hello, Comrade Lenin!" The root is the Latin camera, or vaulted room, and originally comrade meant someone who shares a room.
Vocabulary lists containing comrade
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
Across the table was another comrade, youthful office assistant Brooklyn Crawford.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
"The life of comrade Zhu Rongji was a life of revolution, a life of struggle, a life of glory," an obituary jointly issued by China's top political bodies said, according to Xinhua.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
At one point, Vizirenko’s comrade, Welder, told his wife to close her eyes and point to somewhere on a map of Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
He and his comrade would engage only if Russian troops tried to move against them.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
By telling the comrade sister my parents are dead, I have put a marker on Ma’s grave.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
At the funeral service on Wednesday, patriotic songs blaring, the city's deputy mayor Nguyen Manh Cuong said authorities "will not overlook any opportunity or method to continue the journey of searching for the fallen comrades".
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Barabak: Excuse me, comrades, while I go put on a tie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
In the end, the idleness inherent in a vacation lays bare Ashim, whom Aparna catches sight of while he is washing up outdoors and while dancing in an inebriated state with his comrades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Under the leadership of Hall and national Chairman Henry Winston, the party raised capital funds from comrades, which were then invested.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
Both her comrades and the local people laid wreaths for her.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
