partisan

UK: /ˌpɑː^rtɪˈzæn/

US: /ˈpɑrtəzən, -sən/

US: (pär′tə zən, -sən; Brit. pär′tə zan′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

par•ti•san¹ /ˈpɑrtəzən, -sən/   n. [countable]

1. Government a believer in, or follower of, a person or cause, esp. one who shows an unthinking loyalty.
2. Government a member of a guerrilla group of soldiers fighting an occupying army:
   The partisans were able to escape into the surrounding hills.

adj. [before a noun]

3. Government of, relating to, or characteristic of partisans:
   partisan bickering over the trade bill.

par•ti•san•ship, n. 

[uncountable] Partisanship kept the new trade bill from being passed.

See -par-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

par•ti•san¹  (pär′tə zən, -sən; Brit. pär′tə zan′), n. 

1. Government an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, esp. a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.
2. Military a member of a party of light or irregular troops engaged in harassing an enemy, esp. a member of a guerrilla band engaged in fighting or sabotage against an occupying army.

adj. 

3. Government of, pertaining to, or characteristic of partisans;
   partial to a specific party, person, etc.:
   partisan politics.
4. Military of, pertaining to, or carried on by military partisans or guerrillas.

Also, partizan. 

• Vulgar Latin *-ēs- -ese + Latin -iānus -ian)
• Upper Italian parteźan (Tuscan partigiano), equivalent. to part(e) faction, part + -eźan (
• Middle French
• 1545–55

par′ti•san•ship′, par′ti•san•ry, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. See follower. 
• 3. biased, prejudiced.

Antonyms

• 1. opponent.

par•ti•san²  (pär′tə zən, -sən), n. 

1. a shafted weapon of the 16th and 17th centuries, having as a head a long spear blade with a pair of curved lobes at the base.

Also, partizan. Cf. halberd. 

• Upper Italian parteźana, probably by ellipsis from *arma parteźana weapon borne by members of a faction; see partisan¹
• Middle French partizane
• 1550–60

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

partisan, partizan / ˌpɑːtɪˈzæn ˈpɑːtɪˌzæn/ noun

1. an adherent or devotee of a cause, party, etc
2. a member of an armed resistance group within occupied territory, esp in Italy or the Balkans in World War II
3. (as modifier): partisan forces

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan
2. relating to or excessively devoted to one party, faction, etc; one-sided

Etymology: 16th Century: via French, from Old Italian partigiano, from parte faction, from Latin pars part

ˌpartiˈsanship, ˌpartiˈzanship noun