democrat
- 1A member or supporter of a political party called the Democratic Party, especially the one in the United States.
A lifelong Democrat, she has worked on every presidential campaign since college.
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate struck a deal to keep the government open.
UsageCapital D for the party: a Democrat. With a small d, democrat means anyone who supports democracy.
Note
American usage pairs it with Republican, and the plural easily stands for a party's whole bloc of officeholders: in 2025 Oregon's Representative Suzanne Bonamici said that Democrats and Republicans had long had policy differences, but that this was “way more than a policy difference.”
Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- In 2025, Oregon Representative Suzanne Bonamici said Democrats and Republicans had long had policy differences, but called the situation “way more than a policy difference.” oregoncapitalchronicle.com
- 2Someone who supports democracy and argues for democratic politics, originally in contrast to the aristocrats of Revolutionary France.
A committed democrat, he refused to serve in a government that had seized power by force.
The country's democrats welcomed the end of military rule and the promise of free elections.
UsageWritten with a small d; capital Democrat names a member of a Democratic Party, especially the US one.
Note
French built démocrate on the model of aristocrate, and the pairing shows: in early use the word named the side opposed to the aristocrats. It still names a camp as readily as a conviction, as when Hong Kong's democrats won control of most district councils against the pro-Beijing camp in 2019.
- 3Belonging to or connected with the Democratic Party in the United States, a disputed use often meant as a slight.
Speaking at the rally, the congressman blamed rising prices on Democrat policies.
The caller complained that Democrat-run cities were wasting tax money.
UsageIn neutral writing, use Democratic: the Democratic Party, Democratic policies.
Note
Dropping the -ic from the party's own adjective, Democratic, is often meant as a dig, and Democrat Party or Democrat policies is widely heard that way, so careful writers avoid it. As a plain noun, a Democrat carries no such edge.
Less common meanings
- 4A ruler of a democracy in which the people govern through elected representatives.
Unlike an autocrat, a democrat has to build a coalition large enough to win a national vote.
The study compared how long democrats and dictators typically stay in power.
Note
Here the word names a position, not a creed: the democrat is whoever governs a representative democracy, set against the autocrat. What separates them is whom they must please, a large share of the voting public rather than a small ruling elite, and a leader can be this kind of democrat without being a believer in democracy.
Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- In this sense, a democrat is a ruler of a representative democracy, distinguished by position rather than personal beliefs. en.wiktionary.org
- Democratic rulers depend on a relatively large proportion of voters, whereas autocratic rulers depend on a smaller group. repository.essex.ac.uk
- The institutional distinction does not require democratic rulers to believe personally in democratic values. en.wiktionary.org
- 5A large but lightly built open wagon, drawn by horses and fitted with two or more seats.
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Practice
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Origin
French démocrate, which English borrowed, was formed from démocratie on the model of aristocrate (“aristocrat”). Within English, the word is demo- + -crat.