bipartisan

adjective

bi·​par·​ti·​san (ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən  -sən 

-ˌzan,

 chiefly British  ˌbī-ˌpä-tə-ˈzan

: of, relating to, or involving members of two parties

a bipartisan commission

specifically : marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties

bipartisan support for the bill

bipartisanism

(ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zə-ˌni-zəm  -sə- 

noun

bipartisanship

(ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən-ˌship  -sən- 

noun

Did you know?

Bipartisan is a two-part word. The first element is the prefix bi-, which means "two"; the second is partisan, a word that traces through Middle French and north Italian dialect to the Latin part- or pars, meaning "part." Partisan itself has a long history as a word in English. It has been used as a noun in reference to a firm adherent to a party, faction, or cause (especially one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance), since the 16th century. The related adjective (meaning "of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan") appeared in the 19th century, as did, after a space of some 50 years, the adjective bipartisan.

Examples of bipartisan in a Sentence

In his first Inaugural Address, Jefferson sounded a conciliatory, bipartisan note, averring that "we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists"—a trope copied in many inaugural addresses to follow. —Sean Wilentz, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2009

Seasoned observers of Washington tend to dismiss such talk of national unity and bipartisan cooperation as meaningless political boilerplate … —Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, 7 May 2007

Two recent national bipartisan blue-ribbon panels, the National Research Council Committee on Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children and the National Reading Panel, came to converging conclusions. —Bennet A. Shawitz, New Republic, 6 Nov. 2000

The bill has bipartisan support.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the legislation did not proceed to a floor vote despite having bipartisan support and around 130 co-sponsors, roughly 90 Democrats and 40 Republicans. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

Oddball coalitions The latest indicator of bipartisan opportunities came when former Trump adviser and right-wing podcast host Steve Bannon spoke last week at the same panel as Slater, called the Little Tech Competition Summit, and heaped praise on Khan. —Ashley Oliver, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2025

That law was passed with bipartisan support in Congress and upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court, which said the ban was necessary for national security. —Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025

Congress passed the ban in 2024 with overwhelming bipartisan support over national security fears that an app used by more than half of Americans should not be controlled by China, a foreign adversary of the U.S. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bipartisan

• nonpartisan
• artisan
• partisan

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Kids Definition

bipartisan

adjective

bi·​par·​ti·​san (ˈ)bī-ˈpärt-ə-zən 

-sən

: representing, made up of, or organized by members of two political parties

a bipartisan foreign policy