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:
Today, he’s headed to Washington, D.C., for the funeral of a comrade — but another of his comrades might threaten his carefully constructed life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Across the table was another comrade, youthful office assistant Brooklyn Crawford.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 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
Commander Lewis and the surviving crew, via long-range communication from Hermes, gave eulogies for their departed comrade from deep space.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Today, he’s headed to Washington, D.C., for the funeral of a comrade — but another of his comrades might threaten his carefully constructed life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
At the funeral service on Wednesday, patriotic songs blaring, the city's deputy mayor Nguyen Manh Cuong said authorities "will not overlook any opportunity or method to continue the journey of searching for the fallen comrades".
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
He tells me he never felt as fit as his fellow comrades during his Army days.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Under the leadership of Hall and national Chairman Henry Winston, the party raised capital funds from comrades, which were then invested.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 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
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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.
