patriot
noun
a person who loves, supports, and defends their country and its interests with devotion.
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Trivia Time
Who wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet that persuaded many American patriots to support independence?
patriot
American
[pay-tree-uht, -ot, pa-tree-uht]
/ ˈpeɪ tri ət, -ˌɒt, ˈpæ tri ət /
noun
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patriots
plural
-
a person who loves, supports, and defends their country and its interests with devotion.
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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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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
He also identifies himself as an Indian patriot and has said he doesn’t think the country should be broken into pieces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Decisions like this inevitably lead to questions about patriotism, and what it means to be an American patriot in this time of great crisis.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Philip Schuyler, a patriot leader and general in the American Revolution, was among New York’s wealthiest men.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Last month, France and the U.K. said they would offer defensive assistance to Saudi Arabia, while Greece is operating U.S.-made Patriot missile batteries in the kingdom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The military has already removed a Patriot air defense battery stationed around Erbil, current and former U.S. officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The same individual also made off with four bronze placards from the benches at nearby Patriot Point, police said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The partnership comes as the Pentagon demands Lockheed Martin more than triple its Patriot output to over 2,000 missiles a year by the end of 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The threat of rebellion spread as the Liberty Boys and other Patriot groups gained followers.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
The idea reassures believers that true patriots like themselves will soon be financially secure, respected, and healthy—and it also offers more immediate relief too.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“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
They include rabid Ukrainian patriots, political agnostics and diehard Russophiles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 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
Soviet citizens felt that they themselves were real patriots, fighting a war against the false patriotism of fascism.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
