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:
China's world number 85 Wang Xiyu fought back to stun the top seed 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, and will play compatriot Zhang Shuai for the title.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
It remains to be seen how Shelton will recover for the semi-final against Tiafoe, who completed a remarkable comeback from two sets and a break down to beat compatriot Alex Michelsen.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Sabalenka will next face either American third seed Jessica Pegula or her compatriot Emma Navarro, seeded 26th, as she bids to reach a fourth consecutive US Open final.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Francis Ford Coppola decamped there to write his script for “The Godfather,” and it’s where his compatriot George Lucas conjured up the “Star Wars” universe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
The man who hung back joined his compatriot.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
"The overwhelming majority of Taiwanese compatriots do not want war; they wish to live their lives in peace and hope for peaceful cross-strait exchanges," Han said at the National Day event.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
But what Fred and his Polish compatriots were doing, both before the war and during it, was pivotal in the Allied war effort.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Shelton, meanwhile, surged past Tsitsipas in less than two hours to join his compatriots in the last eight.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Robert Ladd as to the gang ties of Davis and his compatriots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
In search of compatriots, they used to trail their fingers, at the start of each new semester, through the columns of the university directory, circling surnames familiar to their part of the world.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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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.
