comrade

American  

[kom-rad, -ruhd] / ˈkɒm ræd, -rəd /

noun

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

• comradely adjective
• comradeship noun

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

“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

If someone gets buried, others in the group can use their receivers to help find the buried comrade.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

Asked what Mounfield meant to him, the singer said: "Everything. He's a brother to me, a musical comrade... a beautiful soul and spirit."

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

An anti-war poster on the streets reflects the fears of many, showing a soldier holding a fallen comrade in his arms.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

I’m lying on my bunk now, listening to the Little School discussing how a woman revolutionary should handle a low remark by a comrade.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

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