rapport
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapport
First recorded in 1530–40; from French, derivative of rapporter “to bring back, report,” equivalent to r(e)- re- + apporter ( Old French aporter, from Latin apportāre, equivalent to ap- ap- 1 + portāre “to carry”; see port 5)
Explanation
Rapport is a good sense of understanding and trust. If you have good rapport with your neighbors, they won't mind if you kick your ball onto their property every now and then. If you have rapport with someone, you two communicate with trust and sympathy. The word is often used to mean good interaction between people in different positions or roles such as parent and teacher, teacher and student, doctor and patient, supervisor and worker, or speaker and audience. It is always important to establish rapport with people you come into contact with regularly. Pronounce this borrowed word from the French ra-POOR.
Vocabulary lists containing rapport
Grade 10, List 3
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The Hunger Games
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The Things They Carried
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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.
Instead, the group relied on the rapport they’ve developed throughout the years of knowing each other for the filming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The rapport that develops between them is an intriguingly murky blend of skepticism and respect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Obviously, Umberto holds Journalism himself in the highest regard and maintains an incredible rapport with the horse,” Wellman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Cepeda urged "composure and calm" following these incidents, during which demonstrators burned US flags in reference to De la Espriella's rapport with the Trump administration.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
I watched over time as the girls formed friendships, finding a rapport with one another and with the adults around them.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
