republican

comparative more republican · superlative most republican

1. Advocating or supporting a republic as a form of government, advocating or supporting republicanism.First known use 17th c.

   Republican ideology had no obvious institutional focus and ideological carrier as was the case with the discourse of reason (the monarchy) and the discourse of law (the parlements).

   2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 222

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   [Editor David W. Blight said:] Until his death in April 1817 (ten months before Douglass’s birth), Bingham remained a remarkable mixture of at least three elements. He held to a devout Congregationalist faith and Puritan sensibility (believing in human depravity and the sovereignty of God, and dressing in old eighteenth century style, with cocked hat and silver-buckled shoes). He was a staunch Jeffersonian in a state where few existed (he never put any money in a bank, and seems to have embodied Jefferson’s egalitarian faith in the capacities of common folk). Finally, Bingham saw the early American republic as a new political beginning for humankind, and his more than one million schoolbooks sold across the land were designed to produce republican citizens. The Columbian Orator was an elocution manual as well as a reader for school children in the new republic.

   1997 [1797], David W. Blight, “Editor's Introduction: The Peculiar Dialogue Between Caleb Bingham and Frederick Douglass”, in Caleb Bingham, edited by David W. Blight, The Columbian Orator, Bicentennial Edition (1997 republishing), New York University Press, →ISBN

2. Of or belonging to a republic.First known use 17th c.

   The Roman emperors were republican magistrates named by the senate.

   1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC

3. Alternative letter-case form of Republican.

plural republicans

1. Someone who favors a republic as a form of government.First known use 17th c.

   Nationalists and republicans need to adopt a new approach to convince unionists of the merits of uniting Ireland, Gerry Adams has said.

   2017 June 24, David Young, “New approach needed to convince unionists about United Ireland, Adams tell conference”, in Independent.ie

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   Sir, there is one Mrs Macaulay in this town, a great republican. One day when I was at her house, I put on a very grave countenance, and said to her, 'Madam, I am now become a convert to your way of thinking. I am convinced that all mankind are upon an equal footing...'

   1791, James Boswell, “[1791]”, in James Boswell, editor, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. […], volume II, London: […] Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, […], →OCLC

   I guess I am a bit of a republican at heart but I would love to be introduced to the Prince just to be able to grip him off about seeing the Noisy Scrub-bird.

   2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 247

   A son of slain republicans Dominic and Mary McGlinchey has brought High Court actions claiming the State has failed to properly investigate his parents' murders.

   2023 August 1, “Son of slain republicans brings actions”, in Irish Times, page 4

   Synonyms: anti-monarchist, antiroyalist · Antonyms: monarchist

2. Synonym of American cliff swallow.

   Synonyms: American cliff swallow

3. Synonym of sociable weaver.

   Synonyms: sociable weaver

comparative more Republican · superlative most Republican

1. USgovernmentOf or pertaining to the Republican Party of the United States.

   There are Libertarian, Republican and Democratic nominees running for office right now.

   3 more examples

   Republican Erik Yassenoff, 38, was born in Upper Arlington, went to school there, served on city council, and, if elected, would bring to the Statehouse a breadth of knowledge about policy and state government rarely seen from a freshman member.

   2018 October 6, Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch

   But a huge bloc of non-Hispanic white residents without bachelor’s degrees — 72 percent of the population age 25 or older — has turned the 7th District into Republican turf.

   2020 May 11, Geoffrey Skelley, Nathaniel Rakich, “Two Special Elections On Tuesday Could Hint At Another Blue Wave In 2020”, in FiveThirtyEight, archived from the original on 03 Jun 2020

   Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah both confirmed that a bipartisan group of lawmakers will have a series of video meetings starting in the next several days to see if they could agree on a deal soon.

   2022 January 20, Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer, Clare Foran, “Senate votes to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general”, in CNN, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2022

2. Of or pertaining to the Republic of China's tenure on the Chinese mainland (1912-1949).
3. Alternative letter-case form of republican.

plural Republicans

1. USgovernmentA member or supporter of the Republican Party, the more right-wing of the two main political parties in the United States.

   Famine, pestilence, war… War! I like it! When did you become a Republican.

   1998 November 27, Danita Jones, “Sabrina and the Beast”, in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, season 3, episode 1, spoken by Sabrina Spellman (Beth Broderick as Zelda Spellman and Melissa Joan Hart), Paramount Domestic Television, via ABC

   2 more examples

   At one point in the debate, the moderator asked a tough question that had the candidates stumped. Moderator: "This question is for both of the candidates. Those ever-important independent voters who haven’t decided who to vote for would like to know what the real differences between you two are." Gore: "I think the real difference between Governor Bush and I is that he is in fact a Republican, and I am currently a Democrat." Moderator: "That doesn’t really answer the question, I am talking about issues." Bush: "No, he is right. I am a Republican, and he is a Democrat."

   2000 October 3, Tim Paluch, “Gore vs. Bush: That's Debatable”, in Iowa State Daily, archived from the original on 17 Apr 2024

   The vote was 54-46. The vote was mostly along party lines though Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined Republicans in supporting Bondi.

   2025 February 4, Shania Shelton, Morgan Rimmer, “Senate votes to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Aug 2025

   Synonyms: Repooplican, Republicant, Republicon, Republicunt, Republitard, Retardican, Rethuglican

2. IrelandUKAn Irish nationalist; a proponent of a united Ireland, particularly one who supports armed struggle to achieve this.
3. IrelandarchaicA member or supporter of Fianna Fáil, a centre-right party in Ireland.

   It was confident both that the Republicans would never put it out to put Cosgrave in, and that Fine Gael was equally against the Republicans.

   1970, The Republic of Ireland: an hypothesis in eight chapters and two intermissions

4. historicalA supporter of the government or left-wing side in the Spanish Civil War.
5. A member of Les Républicains, a right-wing party in France.
6. A member of Die Republikaner, a far-right party in Germany.

1. A place in the United States:
   1. A township in Jefferson County, Indiana.
   2. A township in Clay County, Kansas.
   3. An unincorporated community in Bertie County, North Carolina.