comrade

noun

com·​rade ˈkäm-ˌrad 

-rəd,

 especially British  -ˌrād

1

a

: an intimate friend or associate : companion

" … reflecting upon all my comrades that were drowned … "

—Daniel Defoe

b

: a fellow soldier

comrades in battle

2

[from its use as a form of address by communists] : communist

comradeliness

ˈkäm-ˌrad-lē-nəs 

noun

comradely adjective

comradeship

ˈkäm-ˌrad-ˌship 

noun

Did you know?

In Latin, camara or camera denoted a vaulted ceiling or roof. Later, the word simply mean “room, chamber” and was inherited by many European languages with that meaning. In the Spanish, the word became cámara, and a derivative of that was camarada “a group of soldiers quartered in a room” and hence “fellow soldier, companion.” That Spanish word was borrowed into French as camarade and then into Elizabethan English as both camerade and comerade.

Synonyms

• associate
• cohort
• companion
• compatriot
• compeer
• crony
• fellow
• hobnobber
• mate
• running mate

Examples of comrade in a Sentence

He enjoys spending time with his old army comrades.

the boy, and two others who are known to be his comrades, are wanted for questioning by the police

Recent Examples on the Web

Ettinger and his comrades organized a plan that included timetables and steps to be taken at each stage. —Mark Mazzetti Jonathan Davis Anna Diamond David Mason, New York Times, 16 May 2024

In reality, such behavior would almost surely get the fanatic (and many of his comrades) killed. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 May 2024

As the show moves into its second act, the focus shifts away to the forester and his drunken comrades for too long, and the buoyance of the barnyard and forest animals is sorely missed. —Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 13 May 2024

But unlike their more painful comrades, velella stings are not considered harmful to humans, according to Point Reyes. —Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024

In a rather confusing (but nonetheless exciting) subplot, Athos risks his life to rescue a comrade strapped to a wooden cross. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024

After defeating the despair of the Final Days, the Warriors of Light and their comrades resumed walking their own paths. —The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

Now the gangs, reinforced by returning comrades, have attacked the city’s airport and main port. —Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024

According to the film’s press notes, there were streets and schools named after Hilde, Hans and their comrades in East Germany, many of which were renamed after reunification in the 1990s. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French camarade group sleeping in one room, roommate, companion, from Old Spanish camarada, from cámara room, from Late Latin camera, camara — more at chamber

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing comrade

• brother/sister/comrade in arms
• comrade in arms

Kids Definition

comrade

noun

com·​rade ˈkäm-ˌrad 

-rəd

: a close friend or associate

comradely adjective

comradeship

-ˌship 

noun