Tory

[ tawr-ee, tohr-ee ]

/ ˈtɔr i, ˈtoʊr i /

noun, plural To·ries, for 1–5.

a member of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.

a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored royal authority over Parliament and the preservation of the existing social and political order: succeeded by the Conservative party.

(often lowercase) an advocate of conservative principles; one opposed to reform or radicalism.

a person who supported the British cause in the American Revolution; a loyalist.

(in the 17th century) a dispossessed Irishman who resorted to banditry, especially after the invasion of Oliver Cromwell and suppression of the royalist cause (1649–52).

a male or female given name.

adjective

of, belonging to, or characteristic of the Tories.

being a Tory.

(sometimes lowercase) opposed to reform or radicalism; conservative.

QUIZZES

How Hip Is Your Lingo? Take Our Slang Quiz!

If you aren’t already skilled in slang, then this quiz can get you up to speed in no time!

Question 1 of 11

OK Boomer can be perceived as pejorative, but it is mostly considered to be _____

a slang word for astronauts that originated in the 1950s.

a comment toward the Baby Boomer generation that is humorous or ironic in usage.

an obsolete slang term about people who speak loudly.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Tory

1640–50; < Irish *tóraighe outlaw, bandit, derivative of tóir chase, pursuit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tories

It all gets even more baroque, and, in the short term anyway, even worse for the Tories.
An Independent Scotland Will Hurt Labour|Michael Tomasky|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the short term, though, the Tories might be hurt more by a “yes” win.
An Independent Scotland Will Hurt Labour|Michael Tomasky|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, the Tories of that day, many of them big landowners, found an intellectual champion in one Thomas Malthus.
‘Downton Abbey’ Democrats May Cost their Party the Senate|Lloyd Green|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Express claimed that fewer than one in 10 Tories supported her candidacy.
Margaret Thatcher: The Accidental Feminist|Amanda Foreman|April 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

“The Tories played a very risky card in selecting her,” says Palumbo.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Lasting Legacy|Christopher Dickey|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Thus it was that he tried to rule with a coalition, or a mixture of Whigs and Tories.
With Marlborough to Malplaquet|Herbert Strang and Richard Stead
The conduct of the Tories during that event, and after it, will afford us a true insight into the nature of that party.
Essays|David Hume
The other, circulated by the Tories, contained the names of those Whigs who had supported the Sacheverell clause.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
From indications, the subject of Tories was one that had great interest for the stout host of the Plow and Harrow.
The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill|John T. McIntyre
In this article he gave his estimate of Tories, Whigs, and Radicals.
Egerton Ryerson and Education in Upper Canada|J. Harold Putnam

British Dictionary definitions for tories

Tory

/ (ˈtɔːrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada

a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s

an American supporter of the British cause; loyalistCompare Whig

(sometimes not capital) an ultraconservative or reactionary

(in the 17th century) an Irish Roman Catholic, esp an outlaw who preyed upon English settlers

adjective

of, characteristic of, or relating to Tories

(sometimes not capital) ultraconservative or reactionary

Derived forms of Tory

Toryish, adjectiveToryism, noun

Word Origin for Tory

C17: from Irish tōraidhe outlaw, from Middle Irish tōir pursuit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for tories

Tories

A political party in Britain, also called the Conservative party. In the late eighteenth century, the Tories took form as defenders of the king and stability and of established interests in Britain; they advised caution in making political and social change. Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, and Margaret Thatcher belonged to the party.

Tory

noun, plural To·ries, for 1–5.

adjective

QUIZZES

Origin of Tory

Words related to tories

Example sentences from the Web for tories

British Dictionary definitions for tories

noun plural -ries

adjective

Derived forms of Tory

Word Origin for Tory

Cultural definitions for tories