patriot

American  

[pey-tree-uht, -ot, pa-tree-uht] / ˈpeɪ tri ət, -ˌɒt, ˈpæ tri ət /

noun

1. a person who loves, supports, and defends their country and its interests with devotion.

2. a person who values individual rights, especially one who attempts to defend those rights against presumed interference by the federal government.

3. Military. Patriot, a U.S. Army antiaircraft missile with a range of 37 miles (60 kilometers) and a 200-pound (90-kilogram) warhead, launched from a tracked vehicle with radar and computer guidance and fire control.

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Patriot ¹ British  

/ ˈpeɪtrɪət /

noun

1. a US surface-to-air missile system with multiple launch stations and the capability to track multiple targets by radar

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patriot ² British  

/ ˈpeɪtrɪət, ˌpætrɪˈɒtɪk, ˈpæt- /

noun

1. a person who vigorously supports his country and its way of life

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Other Word Forms

• antipatriot noun
• patriotic adjective
• patriotically adverb
• semipatriot noun

Etymology

Origin of patriot

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French patriote, from Late Latin patriōta, from Greek patriṓtēs “fellow-countryman, lineage member (in the paternal line)”

Compare meaning

How does patriot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• patriot vs. loyalist

Explanation

A patriot is someone who loves and who has sometimes fought for his or her country. “Nathan Hale was a true patriot; his only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country.” The word patriot comes from patrios (Greek, not Latin for once), which means "of one’s father." So, despite various references to the motherland, the word patriot more or less lands us square in the fatherland arena. And if you’re a football fan, the New England Patriots is a near-Boston-based team (Boston being a major source of American patriots in the Revolutionary War). And, if you want to get yourself in trouble, you can wander Boston with a megaphone chanting, “The Patriots stink.”

Example Sentences

"Everyone chooses their own path, according to their interests," he said, calling himself a "patriot".

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

In this, Mr. Pahlavi aligns with millions of Iranians who recall life under the shah with nostalgia and remember the shah himself as a patriot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

"He didn't want to, but he had do it. He was a patriot," Natalia explains, through her tears.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

Almost overnight, the king replaced Parliament as the symbol and target of colonial grievance, and gaining independence under popular rule became the patriot aim.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

This African patriot had helped found the organization in 1912, and casting my vote near his grave site brought history full circle, for the mission he began eighty-two years before was about to be achieved.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• superpatriot