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

"Regardless of what they say, to me, my son was a patriot, and that's what matters to me."

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

As the U.S. prepares to celebrate its semiquincentennial, “War Without Mercy” reminds us that “liberty or death” was more than a popular patriot rallying cry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Dr. King was an American patriot who was martyred for trying to bend the arc of the moral universe to justice.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025

“I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize Charlie Kirk as an American patriot and a steadfast champion for freedom of speech,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

And the spy had said stiffly, “Scout, sir. I am a scout. And I am a patriot, sir.”

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Related Words

• superpatriot