tory

/ˈtɔːri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtɔːri/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtȯr-ē/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtɔː.ri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtɔːr.i/ (ame, ipa)

tory — noun

  • torysingular
  • toriesplural

1. in British politics, somebody who belongs to or votes for the Conservative Party

1.名詞B2
釋義

in British politics, somebody who belongs to or votes for the Conservative Party, especially in everyday speech and in newspaper headlines.

例句

Hugo has voted Tory in every general election since he turned eighteen.

vote Tory (no article)

The new Tory MP for Brighton promised lower taxes and stricter border rules.

Tory + noun: Tory MP / Tory voter

同義詞
  • Conservative

    the formal name; safer in essays and official writing

  • right-winger

    broader; includes other right-leaning parties, not only the Conservatives

反義詞

文法句型

Tory + noun (e.g. Tory MP, Tory voter)

用法筆記

Always written with a capital T. Common in British newspapers and on radio because it is shorter than 'Conservative'; the official party name is still preferred in formal documents.

常見錯誤

❌My uncle is a tory.
✅My uncle is a Tory.
💡capitalise the T when it refers to the party.
❌She voted for Tory at the last election.
✅She voted Tory at the last election.
💡use 'vote Tory' without 'for' or 'a'.

2. in British history, somebody who belonged to a political group between roughly 1

2.名詞C1
釋義

in British history, somebody who belonged to a political group between roughly 1680 and 1832 that wanted the king or queen to keep strong powers and parliament to have less.

例句

In the eighteenth century, many country landowners were Tories who feared losing power to merchants.

historical context phrase: 'in the eighteenth century'

The Tories of 1710 fought hard against any limit on royal authority.

the Tories of [year] — historical reference

同義詞
  • royalist

    wider term for any supporter of strong royal power, not tied to one party

反義詞
  • Whig

    the rival historical party that wanted parliament, not the king, to hold real power

文法句型

the Tories (collective use)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by date and context: this sense only applies to the period before about 1832. After parliamentary reform, the same group became known as the Conservatives. Often paired with 'Whig' for contrast.

常見錯誤

❌Margaret Thatcher was an eighteenth-century Tory.
✅Margaret Thatcher was a modern Tory (Conservative).
💡the historical Tory sense ended around 1832.

3. in Canadian politics, somebody who belongs to or votes for the country's main ri

3.名詞C1
釋義

in Canadian politics, somebody who belongs to or votes for the country's main right-of-centre party, currently the Conservative Party of Canada.

例句

Rodrigo grew up in Calgary, where most of his neighbours were Tories.

Canadian-specific context (city + Tory)

The Toronto debate was heated, with Tories arguing for lower carbon taxes.

Canadian usage in news contexts

同義詞
  • Conservative

    the official party name in Canada

  • PC

    short for Progressive Conservative; used for some provincial parties in Canada

反義詞
  • Liberal

    the main centre-left rival in Canadian federal politics

文法句型

Tory + noun (Canadian context)

用法筆記

Often signalled by Canadian place names (Ottawa, Calgary, Ontario) or institutions (provincial assembly, House of Commons in Canada). Without these clues, readers usually default to the British meaning in sense 1.

4. in American history, a colonist who took the side of the British king during the

4.名詞C1
釋義

in American history, a colonist who took the side of the British king during the war of independence (1775–1783) instead of fighting for the new United States.

例句

Folake's school project compared Tories in New York to revolutionaries in Boston.

Tories in [American place] — US Revolutionary context

Many Tories lost their farms and sailed to Canada once the war ended in 1783.

specific date (1783) anchors the sense

同義詞
  • loyalist

    the standard term in modern US history writing; less old-fashioned than Tory

反義詞
  • patriot

    American colonist who fought for independence from Britain

  • rebel

    term used by the British for the colonists who rose up

文法句型

the Tories (collective, in US history)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by historical setting (American Revolution, 1775–1783). In modern American writing, 'loyalist' is now more common than 'Tory' for this meaning, but 'Tory' still appears in school history books.

常見錯誤

❌During the Civil War, many Americans were Tories.
✅During the Revolutionary War, many Americans were Tories.
💡this sense is tied only to the American Revolution, not later wars.

tory — adjective