compatriot
Americannoun
-
compatriots
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of compatriot
From the Late Latin word compatriōta, dating back to 1605–15. See com-, patriot
Explanation
A compatriot is a person from the same country as you. Don't confuse it with patriot, which means someone with notable love for his country. The word compatriot is often used to suggest an automatic sense of friendship. All compatriots are assumed to be chummy with each other — though, in fact, there's nothing in the dictionary definition to suggest this. Compatriots may — and often do — loathe each other, as countless civil wars have demonstrated.
Vocabulary lists containing compatriot
Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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Outliers
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Fidel Castro (1926-2016) Memorial List
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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:
Together with his powerful compatriot, Agrippa witnesses—and helps bring about—the destruction of the Roman Republic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
And Glaswegian Jamieson was the bewildered recipient of the call this time, following compatriot Grant Forrest last year.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
He and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Australian Open men's doubles title together in 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
However, his work also extends to commercial activities and wider planning behind the scenes, although he leaves the coaching duties to compatriot Xisco Munoz.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The man who hung back joined his compatriot.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Dart joins compatriots Toby Samuel and Katie Boulter in the second round.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Spending her Saturday not in uniform but in a T-shirt and jeans, she would like to enjoy a coffee outside -- and resents that her more religious compatriots think otherwise.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
But Romero said he, like many of his compatriots, is in the dark over the objectives of the negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
He was a top British junior but chose to sharpen his game for three years in the U.S. collegiate system at Stanford, as many of his compatriots have done.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
But the fortune-teller nods, and Bailey puts a finger on the card and pulls it away from its compatriots so it sits separately on the table.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
