comrade

American  

[kom-rad, -ruhd] / ˈkɒm ræd, -rəd /

noun

comrades plural

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

Derived Forms

• comradeship
  noun
• comradely
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• comrades
  plural

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

See Examples For:

comrade comrades

Yet, none were more potent than his original comrade, Foux.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

“A diary is an assassin’s cloak which we wear when we stab a comrade in the back with a pen,” wrote William Soutar, a Scottish poet and diarist, in 1934.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

He was legendary for his weapons skills, a former comrade once told AFP, but had little power.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

Zhang's father was a revolutionary comrade of Xi's father.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026

He is my greatest friend and comrade for nearly fifty years.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Yorktown unfolded almost precisely as Washington and his French comrades designed the campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Desperate to track down the traitor who sold him and his comrades out, the super soldier is accompanied by three killed-in-action squad mates, whose personalities have been stored in his gun, helmet and backpack.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

On the album, in that context, it was a song to forgotten friends and missing comrades.

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

He and his comrades were often forced to sing Soviet songs and were punished if they didn't sing "loud enough or sang off-key".

From Barron's ● May 8, 2026

Kendra had seen many fairies fall during the battle, but most had been revived and healed by the magic of their comrades.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

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