patriot
noun
a person who loves, supports, and defends their country and its interests with devotion.
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patriot
American
[pey-tree-uht, -ot, pa-tree-uht]
/ ˈpeɪ tri ət, -ˌɒt, ˈpæ tri ət /
noun
-
patriots
plural
-
a person who loves, supports, and defends their country and its interests with devotion.
-
a person who values individual rights, especially one who attempts to defend those rights against presumed interference by the federal government.
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Military. Patriot, a U.S. Army antiaircraft missile with a range of 37 miles (60 kilometers) and a 200-pound (90-kilogram) warhead, launched from a tracked vehicle with radar and computer guidance and fire control.
Patriot
1
British
/ ˈpeɪtrɪət /
noun
patriot
2
British
/ ˈpeɪtrɪət, ˈpæt- /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of patriot
First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French patriote, from Late Latin patriōta, from Greek patriṓtēs “fellow-countryman, lineage member (in the paternal line)”
Compare meaning
How does patriot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A patriot is someone who loves and who has sometimes fought for his or her country. “Nathan Hale was a true patriot; his only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country.” The word patriot comes from patrios (Greek, not Latin for once), which means "of one’s father." So, despite various references to the motherland, the word patriot more or less lands us square in the fatherland arena. And if you’re a football fan, the New England Patriots is a near-Boston-based team (Boston being a major source of American patriots in the Revolutionary War). And, if you want to get yourself in trouble, you can wander Boston with a megaphone chanting, “The Patriots stink.”
Vocabulary lists containing patriot
Memorial Day Words
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Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 1
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Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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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:
If political expediency often ruled his mind, his heart was that of a true patriot, dedicated always to the freedom he knew only his country could ultimately achieve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
He called Zhykovych a "patriot" who had fought in eastern Ukraine in 2014, like himself, and then "actively defended" the Kyiv region after 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The true patriot highlights problems and works to correct them, independent of how much they want the national team to win their next match.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
"Everyone chooses their own path, according to their interests," he said, calling himself a "patriot".
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
This African patriot had helped found the organization in 1912, and casting my vote near his grave site brought history full circle, for the mission he began eighty-two years before was about to be achieved.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Ukraine faces a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly US-made Patriot systems used against ballistic threats.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The Tomahawk contract with Raytheon is an important step forward, as are efforts to expand Patriot and Thaad production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
By mid-July, the U.S. had expended about 1,700 Patriot air defense interceptors and more than 200 Thaad antimissile interceptors in the war, officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The most effective weapon to do that, by far, is the US made Patriot interceptor.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Master Lockton claimed he was a Patriot on the docks.”
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
“This is being made as a gift from me and other people that are great patriots and spent a lot of money. We are building what will be the finest ballroom anywhere in the world.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
The attacks created a shared sense of purpose that inspired a generation of patriots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
"The American patriots who pledged their lives to independence in 1776, were the heirs to this majestic inheritance," Trump said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
One popular X account, Inevitable West - which I've investigated before and appears to be based outside the UK - shared clips of the protest and claimed "ALL of Britain backs these patriots".
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
He was Pedro Segundo’s father and he said his grandfather had fought in the ranks of the patriots who kicked the Spaniards out of America.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
