republican

1 of 2

noun

re·​pub·​li·​can ri-ˈpə-bli-kən How to pronounce republican (audio)
1
: one that favors or supports a republican form of government
2
capitalized
a
: a member of a political party advocating republicanism
b
: a member of the Democratic-Republican party or of the Republican party of the U.S.

republican

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a republic
b
: favoring, supporting, or advocating a republic
c
: belonging or appropriate to one living in or supporting a republic
republican simplicity
2
capitalized
b
: of, relating to, or constituting the one of the two major political parties evolving in the U.S. in the mid-19th century that is usually primarily associated with business, financial, and some agricultural interests and is held to favor a restricted governmental role in economic life

Examples of republican in a Sentence

Noun Our state representative is a Republican. The state's voters are mostly Republicans. Adjective the leader of the Republican Party a small but well-organized republican movement working quietly to overthrow the military dictatorship
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On this, the lawyers on the commission prevailed over the more radical republicans. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 28 Dec. 2023 On the Monday after Easter, Catholic republicans have traditionally marked the 1916 Easter Rising rebellion against British rule. Charles M. Sennott, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Apr. 2023 British authorities suspect that pro-Irish republicans targeted Mr. Caldwell, who remains hospitalized. David Luhnow, wsj.com, 8 Apr. 2023 Eclipsing the Irish Labour Party and other factions on the left, republicans have managed to position Sinn Féin as the main left-wing party in politics on both sides of the Irish border today. K. V. Turley, National Review, 10 Feb. 2020 Shortly after her murder, a dissident Irish republican group called the New IRA reportedly claimed responsibility for her murder. Henry Austin, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2020 McKee, 29, was shot dead while observing a riot by dissident republicans in the city of Londonderry, which is also known as Derry. Henry Austin, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2020 Years ago, as the North of Ireland staggered toward peace talks, some dissident republicans tried to thwart political progress by placing a bomb outside the police station in Markethill, a predominantly Protestant village in South Armagh. Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2020 For decades, a debate has raged in Britain, pitting republicans, who wish to do away with the royal family, against monarchists and others who support them. NBC News, 9 Jan. 2020
Adjective
The republican government introduced a host of anti-clerical laws, including prohibiting religious teaching at schools. Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2023 On the other side of the English Channel in staunchly republican France, broadcasters scrapped normal programming to carry up to 12 hours of live footage Monday. Nicholas Paphitis, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2022 Michelle O’Neill, the vice president of Sinn Fein, will attend the queen's funeral, according to a spokesperson for the Irish republican party. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2022 History was made earlier this year when Lisa Cook was appointed to the Fed despite republican opposition. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 14 Aug. 2022 That total gave the Irish republican party the largest number of seats in Stormont, the Northern Irish parliament, the first time a nationalist party has done so in the region’s centurylong history. Shafi Musaddique, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2022 For Napoleon III, this Catholic and Latin monarchy would counter the influence of the Protestant and republican U.S. in the New World. Hervé-Thomas Campangne, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2021 Irish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike. Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 17 Mar. 2021 These stories reinforce the effort to pigeonhole France’s politics into an inescapable confrontation between President Emmanuel Macron’s republican center and the ultranationalist right. Harrison Stetler, The New Republic, 24 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'republican.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of republican was in 1646

Dictionary Entries Near republican

republic

republican

Republican

Cite this Entry

“Republican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republican. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

republican

1 of 2 adjective
re·​pub·​li·​can ri-ˈpəb-li-kən How to pronounce republican (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or resembling a republic
b
: favoring or supporting a republic
2
capitalized
b
: of, relating to, or being one of the two major political parties in the U.S.

republican

2 of 2 noun
1
: one that favors or supports a republican form of government
2
capitalized
a
: a member of a political party favoring republicanism
b
: a member of the Democratic-Republican party or of the Republican party of the U.S.

Geographical Definition

Republican

geographical name

river 445 miles (716 kilometers) long in Nebraska and Kansas rising in eastern Colorado and flowing east to unite with the Smoky Hill River forming the Kansas River

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