faction

1 of 2

noun

fac·​tion ˈfak-shən How to pronounce faction (audio)
1
: a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking : clique
The committee soon split into factions.
2
: party spirit especially when marked by dissension
faction, or the irreconcilable conflict of partiesErnest Barker
factional adjective
factionalism noun
factionally adverb

-faction

2 of 2

noun combining form

: making : -fication
petrifaction

Examples of faction in a Sentence

Noun The committee soon split into factions. several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Violent skirmishes broke out between the two factions and between protesters and law enforcement officers. Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024 Since war broke out between two factions of Sudan’s military in 2023, the conflict has been unsparingly devastating for civilians. Violet Ikong, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2024 The pattern continued as Israel expanded its war effort into Lebanon to confront Hezbollah, the militant and political faction in southern Lebanon that has been firing rockets into northern Israel for months. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 Roman's new faction will need a fourth, and all signs point to Hikuleo filling that spot. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for faction 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French faccion, borrowed from Latin factiōn-, factiō "act of making, social set, band, group, self-seeking political group," from facere "to make, bring about, place, classify" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at fact

Note: A doublet of faction is fashion entry 1, from the Gallo-Romance outcome of Latin factiō, which maintains only the meaning "act of making," sparsely attested outside of early Latin except in legal use.

Noun combining form

borrowed from Latin -factiōn-, -factiō (as in satisfactiōn-, satisfactiō satisfaction)

First Known Use

Noun

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of faction was in 1509

Dictionary Entries Near faction

Cite this Entry

“Faction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faction. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

faction

noun
fac·​tion ˈfak-shən How to pronounce faction (audio)
: a group acting together within a larger body (as a government) : clique
factional
-shnəl How to pronounce faction (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective
factionalism noun

More from Merriam-Webster on faction

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