bipartisan

American  

[bahy-pahr-tuh-zuhn] / baɪˈpɑr tə zən /

adjective

1. representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions.

   Government leaders hope to achieve a bipartisan foreign policy.

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bipartisan British  

/ baɪˈpɑːtɪˌzæn, ˌbaɪpɑːtɪˈzæn /

adjective

1. consisting of or supported by two political parties

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Usage

What does bipartisan mean? Bipartisan means including two parties or factions, especially ones that typically oppose each other.Bipartisan is used in the context of political systems that have two dominant parties. Bipartisan is most often used to describe actions or solutions intended to counteract partisan politics, which refers to a situation in which members of each party vote along party lines and refuse to compromise.Example: Approving the budget before the deadline will take a bipartisan effort.

Other Word Forms

• bipartisanism noun
• bipartisanship noun

Etymology

Origin of bipartisan

First recorded in 1905–10; bi- ¹ + partisan ¹

Example Sentences

The agency, and subsequently Bondi, faced bipartisan backlash, with lawmakers accusing the justice department of failing to obscure some identifying information about survivors while protecting the identities of those who were not victims.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Senators Adam Schiff and John Curtis plan to introduce a bipartisan bill to prohibit CFTC-regulated entities from listing sports and casino-style game contracts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Senators Adam Schiff and John Curtis on Monday introduced bipartisan legislation to regulate prediction markets including rivals Kalshi and Polymarket, which have eaten into its share of the sports betting marketplace.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

“The AGA strongly supports this bipartisan effort, led by senators Schiff and Curtis, to uphold state and tribal sovereignty and protect consumers by ensuring sports- and gambling-related contracts are prohibited.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Abigail remained confident that Jefferson could be trusted, that the bipartisan direction was the proper course, and the inclusion of a prominent Republican on the peace delegation to France, probably Madison, was a shrewd move.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis