comrade

American  

[kom-rad, -ruhd] / ˈkɒm ræd, -rəd /

noun

1. a person who shares in one's activities, occupation, etc.; companion, associate, or friend.

   Synonyms:

   mate, fellow, crony

2. a fellow member of a fraternal group, political party, etc.

3. a member of the Communist Party or someone with strongly leftist views.

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comrade British  

/ -rɪd, ˈkɒmreɪd /

noun

1. an associate or companion

2. a fellow member of a political party, esp a fellow Communist or socialist

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Other Word Forms

• comradely
  adjective
• comradeship
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

“Dear Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un is the greatest person in the world,” the editorial read.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

The party central committee "absolutely unanimously elected Comrade To Lam to continue holding the position of General Secretary", the party said in a statement.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

“The remains of Comrade Li Keqiang … were cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing on Thursday,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

From Washington Times • Nov. 2, 2023

He walked past a line a saluting soldiers and a red banner emblazoned with the words, "Welcome, Comrade Defence Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu!" in both Korean and Russian.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2023

Their comrades in Trivandrum would march to the Secretariat and present the Charter of People’s Demands to Comrade E. M. S. himself.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Related Words

• buddy
• co-worker
• colleague
• companion
• compatriot
• confidant
• crony