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:
It’s more of a comrade, understanding, empathy and having the maturity and the experience to understand what he went through as a man, as a human being.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
She made Will Ruger, Mr. Caldwell’s ideological comrade, a deputy director.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
He was legendary for his weapons skills, a former comrade once told AFP, but had little power.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
Aung San's wartime comrade Ne Win, who had taken the helm of the armed forces after the leader's assassination in murky circumstances, swooped in in a putsch he justified as protection against Myanmar's disintegration.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
“Unless and until demands are met, comrade, we cannot say if it is Success or Non-success.”
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
When Roosevelt grew delirious from malaria and a leg infection and demanded to be left behind, his comrades conveyed him to safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
They know that our comrades will defend themselves, and defend us.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Xi praised the two as "good neighbours, good friends and good comrades bound by a shared destiny", and called for closer strategic coordination.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
On the album, in that context, it was a song to forgotten friends and missing comrades.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Your father is first among the gods, yet you are always second best - to your Roman comrades, to your Greek friends, even to your family.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
