1
: a member or supporter of a major British political group of the late 17th through early 19th centuries seeking to limit the royal authority and increase parliamentary power compare tory
2
: an American favoring independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution
3
: a member or supporter of an American political party formed about 1834 in opposition to the Jacksonian Democrats, associated chiefly with manufacturing, commercial, and financial interests, and succeeded about 1854 by the Republican Party
Whig adjective
Whiggism noun

Examples of Whig in a Sentence

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.
In the 1830s and 1840s, Democrats were more powerful than the Whig Party, according to Marvin. Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 4 Dec. 2024 Adams appointed Clay secretary of state, and their coalition became the National Republicans, later the Whigs. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2024 In 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin; Jackson, Michigan; and Aurora, Illinois, a new, rather centrist Republican Party emerged to oppose the extension of slavery to the North, replacing a Whig Party divided on the issue. Jim Nowlan, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Nov. 2024 Polk went on to narrowly defeat Henry Clay, the Whig standard-bearer. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for Whig 

Word History

Etymology

short for Whiggamore, member of a Scottish group that marched to Edinburgh in 1648 to oppose the court party

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Whig was in 1702

Dictionary Entries Near Whig

Cite this Entry

“Whig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Whig. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

Whig

noun
1
: a member or supporter of a British political group of the late 17th through early 19th centuries trying to lessen the power of the monarch and to increase the power of the parliament
2
: an American supporting independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution
3
: a member or supporter of a 19th century American political party formed to oppose the Democrats
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