loyalist
Americannoun
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a person who is loyal; a supporter of the sovereign or of the existing government, especially in time of revolt.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) a person who remained loyal to the British during the American Revolution; Tory.
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(initial capital letter) an adherent of the republic during the Spanish Civil War, opposed to Franco.
noun
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(in Northern Ireland) any of the Protestants wishing to retain Ulster's link with Britain
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(in North America) an American colonist who supported Britain during the War of American Independence
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(in Canada) short for United Empire Loyalist
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(during the Spanish Civil War) a supporter of the republican government
noun
Other Word Forms
- loyalism noun
Etymology
Origin of loyalist
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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.
Iranian intelligence has drawn up plans for a military commander to hold power, said Iranian officials and other regime loyalists.
But, over the next 30 years, Khamenei developed networks of loyalists in every area of the Iranian establishment - including parliament, the judiciary, the police, the media, and the clerical elite.
From BBC
Student activism in Iran has traditionally been split broadly between three camps representing left-leaning progressives, monarchists and regime loyalists.
“It helps to reward your whale customers—the most intense loyalists,” Palmer says.
From Barron's
Both loyalist and republican paramilitaries are behind the practise according to Long, and she wanted to reassure those who have been targeted that they should report it to authorities.
From BBC
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.