Sandinista

American  

[san-duh-nee-stuh, sahn-dee-nees-tah] / ˌsæn dəˈni stə, ˌsɑn diˈnis tɑ /

noun

• Sandinistas
  plural

1. a member of the Nicaraguan revolutionary movement that took control of Nicaragua in 1979.

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Sandinista British  

/ ˌsændɪˈniːstə /

noun

1. 1. one of a left-wing group of revolutionaries who overthrew President Somoza in 1979 and formed a socialist coalition government. The Sandinistas were opposed militarily by the US-backed Contras during the 1980s and were defeated in a general election in 1990

   2. ( as modifier )

      the Sandinista revolution

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Sandinistas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Sandinista

First recorded in 1925–30, in sense “supporter of Sandino”; from Latin American Spanish; see Sandino, -ist

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sandinista Sandinistas

Q: Did you ever imagine this would happen back when you were part of the Sandinista movement?

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

From documenting the lives of women performing striptease at rural American fairs to chronicling the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, her work provides an intimate portrait of resilience and humanity.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2025

It then reopened the campus with new leadership and a new name: the Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro National University, in honor of a Sandinista student leader assassinated in 1967.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 25, 2023

Hugo Torres, a former Sandinista guerrilla leader who once led a raid that helped free then rebel Ortega from prison in the 1970s but who later broke with Ortega, died while awaiting trial.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023

Ortega first served as president in the 1980s during a bloody civil war that pitted Sandinista fighters against U.S.-backed Contra rebels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023

Oliver North survived the Sandinistas, Congress and cable news.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 3, 2026

He was released in a swap for hostages taken by other Sandinistas under the command of Hugo Torres.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023

The governing Sandinistas lead an alliance made up of eight parties, as well as Indigenous and religious movements supportive of the ruling party called “United Nicaragua Triumphs.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2022

Ortega first tasted real power in 1981 as head of the junta which governed Nicaragua after the Sandinistas successfully overthrew Somoza.

From Reuters ● Nov. 5, 2021

The focus is on the Sandinistas, their promises and their actions.

From State of the Union Address by Ronald Reagan