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

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

Founded in 1960, UCA graduates include many from Nicaragua's political and business class, including Ortega who began law studies there in 1962 before leaving to join the Sandinista rebel movement.

From Reuters • Aug. 10, 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