bipartisan

adjective

bi·par·ti·san (ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən

-sən

-ˌzan,

chiefly British ˌbī-ˌpä-tə-ˈzan

Synonyms of bipartisan next

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

McBride desires bipartisan work but will be ‘last line of defense’ against Trump McBride will be part of a House minority fresh off the 2024 election, where Democrats flipped some seats, but failed to gain power in the House or retain the White House and Senate. —

Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Nov. 2024 The Australian Senate passed the legislation Thursday night with bipartisan backing. —

Filip Timotija, The Hill, 28 Nov. 2024 Implementation approaches may shift under the new Congress and administration, but the multi-billion dollar and bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act—and industrial policies like it—are still poised to create thousands of job opportunities and require upskilling for incumbent workers. —

Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 No Labels is a bipartisan political movement that had hoped to run a third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential election and wants to break the two-party system. —

Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bipartisan