bipartisan
adjective
-sən
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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
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.
Zac Anderson, USA Today, 19 May 2026
Instead, the Dallas Mavericks minority owner framed the partnership as a bipartisan effort focused on lowering healthcare costs.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Ossoff calls political corruption a bipartisan problem and has pushed legislation to ban members of Congress from making individual stock trades.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
After months of shutdown fights, bipartisan condemnation, and calls to abolish ICE entirely, the last thing the administration may want is another headline.
—Philip Wang, Time, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bipartisan
Cite this Entry
“Bipartisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bipartisan. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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bipartisan
adjective
