partisans
partisans — noun
1. people who join a hidden armed group inside their homeland while a foreign army
people who join a hidden armed group inside their homeland while a foreign army occupies it, and who launch small surprise raids against the occupying soldiers.
Yugoslav partisans hid in the mountains and ambushed German supply trucks at night.
partisans + ambushed + [enemy target]
Kenji's grandmother smuggled bread to the partisans who lived in the forest outside her village.
smuggled + to the partisans (hidden group)
Italian partisans cut the telephone wires before the Allied troops arrived in the town.
The general feared the partisans more than the regular army because he could not see them coming.
After the war, several former partisans wrote books about their years in hiding.
- guerrillas
near-synonym; emphasises the irregular fighting style
- resistance fighters
neutral term, often used in WWII contexts
- insurgents
broader and often used by the occupier; can carry a negative tone
- occupying army
the regular foreign force the partisans fight against
文法句型
partisans + fight/attack/operate
用法筆記
Almost always plural and almost always tied to a specific historical occupation — WWII Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Soviet Union, or modern guerrilla resistance. Distinguish from sense 2 (political supporter): if the people are armed and fighting in secret, it's this sense.
常見錯誤
2. people who back a particular leader, idea, or political group with strong feelin
people who back a particular leader, idea, or political group with strong feeling and who rarely accept criticism of what they support.
Owen's loudest partisans crowded the front rows of every campaign rally.
[noun]'s partisans + filled/crowded + [location]
Noa argued that even the prime minister's strongest partisans were starting to doubt her latest budget plan.
strongest partisans + starting to doubt (loyalty shift)
The new coffee shop in town quickly gained a small group of loyal partisans on social media.
Both candidates sent their partisans door to door across the small farming county.
Ayesha refused to call herself one of the chairman's partisans, even though she usually voted with him.
- supporters
neutral; partisans implies stronger and more uncritical loyalty
- loyalists
close synonym, often used for political party members who back the leader through controversy
- devotees
more emotional, often used for fans of a person, religion, or hobby
文法句型
partisans of + person/cause
loyal/fierce partisans
用法筆記
Often slightly negative or wry — suggests the supporters are too loyal to think clearly about the person or cause. Distinguish from sense 1: if the supporters are not armed and not fighting an occupier, it's this sense.
常見錯誤
partisans — adjective
1. backing one side, party, or person so strongly that you ignore the good points o
backing one side, party, or person so strongly that you ignore the good points of the other side and judge issues only by which side they help.
Tariq complained that the news channel had become too partisan to trust on election night.
too partisan + to trust (degree + infinitive)
The judge's ruling was praised for being careful and not partisan in tone.
not partisan + in tone (predicative)
Linh tried to keep the school newspaper free of partisan opinions about the city council vote.
Voters on both sides accused the debate moderator of asking partisan questions.
Christopher said the football crowd was loud but not partisan, since fans of both teams sat together.
- impartial
the most common opposite, especially of judges, referees, and reporters
- non-partisan
explicitly negates this adjective; common in US political language
文法句型
partisan + noun (politics, press, crowd)
be partisan
用法筆記
Carries a mildly negative tone — suggests the loyalty has gone past fairness. Common collocates are media or political terms: 'partisan press', 'partisan attacks', 'partisan politics', 'partisan crowd'. Distinguish from 'biased', which is broader and can apply to non-political topics.