patriot

[ pey-tree-uht, -ot or, especially British, pa-tree-uht ]
See synonyms for: patriotpatriots on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who loves, supports, and defends their country and its interests with devotion.

  2. a person who values individual rights, especially one who attempts to defend those rights against presumed interference by the federal government.

  1. Patriot, Military. a U.S. Army antiaircraft missile with a range of 37 miles (60 kilometers) and a 200-pound (90-kilogram) warhead, launched from a tracked vehicle with radar and computer guidance and fire control.

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Origin of patriot

1
First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French patriote, from Late Latin patriōta, from Greek patriṓtēs “fellow-countryman, lineage member (in the paternal line)”

Other words from patriot

  • an·ti·pa·tri·ot, noun
  • sem·i·pa·tri·ot, noun

Words Nearby patriot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use patriot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for patriot (1 of 2)

patriot

/ (ˈpeɪtrɪət, ˈpæt-) /


noun
  1. a person who vigorously supports his country and its way of life

Origin of patriot

1
C16: via French from Late Latin patriōta, from Greek patriotēs, from patris native land; related to Greek patēr father; compare Latin pater father, patria fatherland

Derived forms of patriot

  • patriotic (ˌpætrɪˈɒtɪk), adjective
  • patriotically, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Patriot (2 of 2)

Patriot

/ (ˈpeɪtrɪət) /


noun
  1. a US surface-to-air missile system with multiple launch stations and the capability to track multiple targets by radar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012