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:
"The life of comrade Zhu Rongji was a life of revolution, a life of struggle, a life of glory," an obituary jointly issued by China's top political bodies said, according to Xinhua.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In 1979, the 26-year-old Xi was appointed as a personal secretary to Geng Biao, then the secretary-general of the Central Military Commission—the decision-making body for the People’s Liberation Army—and a close comrade of Xi’s father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
He was legendary for his weapons skills, a former comrade once told AFP, but had little power.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
Confirming his death in a party statement, McDonald described him as a "friend and comrade", saying she had learned of his passing with "deep sadness".
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
But, we may be sure, Atalanta treated him as a good comrade, not as a possible lover.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
They know that our comrades will defend themselves, and defend us.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
He and his comrades have limited numbers and resources, so they are often exhausted and have struggled to expand their operations.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
His father, the old radical, responds: “There is something good about being in the crowd, about being comrades, shoulder to shoulder with others. And I think there is also something absolutely destructive about it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
On the album, in that context, it was a song to forgotten friends and missing comrades.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
These days they're digging through that rubble to hunt for traces of their comrades.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
