communist

American  

[kom-yuh-nist] / ˈkɒm yə nɪst /

noun

1. (initial capital letter) a member of the Communist Party or movement.

2. an advocate of communism.

3. a person who is regarded as supporting politically leftist or subversive causes.

4. (usually initial capital letter) a Communard.

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adjective

1. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Communist Party or to Communism.

2. pertaining to communists or communism.

communist British  

/ ˈkɒmjʊnɪst /

noun

1. a supporter of any form of communism

2. (often capital) a supporter of Communism or a Communist movement or state

3. (often capital) a member of a Communist party

4. (often capital) any person holding left-wing views, esp when considered subversive

5. a person who practises communal living; communalist

6. another name for Communard

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adjective

1. of, characterized by, favouring, or relating to communism; communistic

communist Cultural  

1. A supporter of communism.

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Other Word Forms

• anticommunist noun
• anticommunistic adjective
• anticommunistical adjective
• anticommunistically adverb
• communistic adjective
• communistical adjective
• communistically adverb
• procommunist adjective

Etymology

Origin of communist

From the French word communiste, dating back to 1835–45. See common, -ist

Example Sentences

He smuggled himself into Hong Kong as a penniless 12-year-old escaping famine in communist China.

From The Wall Street Journal

Your humble correspondent cannot claim to be a communist sympathizer, but shouldn’t we all spare a thought for anyone who has to sit through endless hours of Marxist speeches without so much as a cocktail?

From The Wall Street Journal

Whether the communist government instructed the people I spoke with to share that story isn’t clear.

From Los Angeles Times

Havana announced this week that it would allow Cuban emigrants to invest to address the communist island's severe economic and energy crises.

From Barron's

But many experts caution that predictions of communist rule ending have proved illusory.

From Los Angeles Times