staunch
Americanadjective
-
stauncher,
comparative
-
staunchest
superlative
-
firm or steadfast in principle, adherence, loyalty, etc., as a person.
a staunch Republican; a staunch friend.
-
characterized by firmness, steadfastness, or loyalty.
He delivered a staunch defense of the government.
- Synonyms:
- resolute
-
a staunch little hut in the woods.
-
impervious to water or other liquids; watertight.
a staunch vessel.
adjective
-
loyal, firm, and dependable
a staunch supporter
-
solid or substantial in construction
-
rare (of a ship, etc) watertight; seaworthy
verb
Synonym Usage
See steadfast.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of staunch
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English sta(u)nch, from Middle French estanche (feminine), estanc (masculine), derivative of estancher “to close, stop”; see stanch 1
Explanation
As an adjective, staunch means firm. You might want to go to that concert Friday night, but your parents' staunch opposition prevents you. Staunch is sometimes used as a verb to mean "to stop the flow of a liquid," but most usage books will tell you it's better to use the word stanch for the verb. Think of a soldier stopping and standing still, and you will understand the connection between the two meanings. The adjectival form should make you think of "stand," as in “stand firm,” or "take a stand." It comes from the French estanche meaning “watertight” and the Latin stanticare, which is probably from stans for “stand.”
Vocabulary lists containing staunch
Born a Crime
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"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
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Promises, Promises
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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.
See Examples For:
But Councilmember Traci Park, a staunch Flock supporter whose district stretches from Pacific Palisades to LAX, said license plate data helped solve at least one drive-by shooting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Waaka scored her second try to close the gap before the break, but after the interval Fiji's staunch defence still refused to give way.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Along with its neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania, the country has ramped up defence investment and remains a staunch ally of Kyiv.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Mistral, for its part, has been a staunch defender of open-weight models, saying they give users the flexibility to tailor them to their needs while protecting their data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
She set him on a sofa, and made a tourniquet to staunch the blood.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Two years after the WTO's last ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi failed to make meaningful progress on key issues like fisheries and agriculture, the organisation's 166 members will be facing even stauncher challenges in Yaounde.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
However, the source said Reeker tried to get the agency to issue a stauncher defense of Yovanovitch.
From Reuters ● Oct. 26, 2019
He conceived it as an alternative to 4chan, one with an even stauncher commitment to anything-goes content moderation.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 23, 2019
Saudi Arabia and the U.S. strongly backed Hadi, and the new president proved a stauncher ally to the U.S. than Saleh in the fight against al-Qaida’s branch in the country.
From Time ● Mar. 22, 2015
Oh, I assure you I'm sound enough," she answered, "the Churchills—I know you're a friend of his—haven't a stauncher ally than I am, and I should only be too glad to be able to contradict.
From The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad
Laura Ingraham, one of Trump’s staunchest on-air defenders, wondered aloud on her Fox show on Monday.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
Poland and Lithuania are among the staunchest supporters of Kyiv in the European Union, and both have recently supplied hundreds of generators to the war-torn country.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
Some of those countries, such as Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, are now some of the alliance’s staunchest members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
At Granja Elena in Zona Franca, I enjoyed a tomato and scallop tartare that could entice even the staunchest carnivore.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2025
And yet Howland Reed had been one of Father's staunchest companions during the war for King Robert's crown, before Bran was bom.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
