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
Examples of Whig in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the pre-Civil War days, before the GOP existed, when there were Whigs and such, Martin Van Buren beat William Henry Harrison in 1836 and lost to him four years later.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 May 2024
Either a Republican or a Democrat has claimed the White House since Zachary Taylor won as a Whig in 1848.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024
In the United Kingdom, by contrast, from fierce debates among reformers, radicals, Conservatives, Whigs, and workers arose a new social welfare state that treats health and economic inequality as fundamentally linked and tasks the government with a major redistributive role.
—David Rosner, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2020
On Sunday, Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as president, and history was made in a way that makes American politics seem as antiquated as the Whigs.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024
The last time a monarch is believed to have expressed an overt preference for the selection of the Prime Minister over another was in 1894, when Queen Victoria outwardly expressed her support of the Whig party over the Tory party.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 24 May 2024
The Power of the Heart also sports contributions from Rosanne Cash, Rufus Wainwright, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the Afghan Whigs, 90-year-old blues legend Bobby Rush, Maxim Ludwig and Angel Olsen and Rickie Lee Jones, among others.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 Mar. 2024
The first time was in 1849, when the Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soil Party could not settle on a new House speaker.
—Misty Severi, Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2023
Holzer deftly summarizes the complicated politics of the antebellum period, including the rise of the secretive, nativist Know-Nothing movement, the collapse of the Whigs, and the formation of the anti-slavery Republican Party.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2024
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 May 2024
Either a Republican or a Democrat has claimed the White House since Zachary Taylor won as a Whig in 1848.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024
In the United Kingdom, by contrast, from fierce debates among reformers, radicals, Conservatives, Whigs, and workers arose a new social welfare state that treats health and economic inequality as fundamentally linked and tasks the government with a major redistributive role.
—David Rosner, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2020
On Sunday, Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as president, and history was made in a way that makes American politics seem as antiquated as the Whigs.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024
The last time a monarch is believed to have expressed an overt preference for the selection of the Prime Minister over another was in 1894, when Queen Victoria outwardly expressed her support of the Whig party over the Tory party.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 24 May 2024
The Power of the Heart also sports contributions from Rosanne Cash, Rufus Wainwright, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the Afghan Whigs, 90-year-old blues legend Bobby Rush, Maxim Ludwig and Angel Olsen and Rickie Lee Jones, among others.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 Mar. 2024
The first time was in 1849, when the Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soil Party could not settle on a new House speaker.
—Misty Severi, Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2023
Holzer deftly summarizes the complicated politics of the antebellum period, including the rise of the secretive, nativist Know-Nothing movement, the collapse of the Whigs, and the formation of the anti-slavery Republican Party.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Whig.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Whig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Whig. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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