faction

noun fac·tion \ ˈfak-shən \

Updated on: 4 Dec 2017

Definition of faction

1 : a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking : clique

The committee soon split into factions.

2 : party spirit especially when marked by dissension

faction, or the irreconcilable conflict of parties
—Ernest Barker

—

factional

play \ˈfak-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

—

factionalism

play \ˈfak-shnə-ˌli-zəm, -shə-nə-ˌliz-\ noun

—

factionally

play \ˈfak-shnəl-ē, -shə-nᵊl-ē\ adverb

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Examples of faction in a Sentence

The committee soon split into factions.
several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area

Recent Examples of faction from the Web

Meanwhile, a recent Forbes feature by bitcoin maven Laura Shin offers a detailed look at the people and factions driving the current crisis.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Bitcoin's Coming Split: What You Need to Know," 3 Nov. 2017
Four of them are linked with organisations or factions usually regarded as his rivals.

— The Economist, "The apotheosis of Xi JinpingChina’s Communist Party has blessed the power of its leader," 26 Oct. 2017
Media has always played an important role in politics, of course, and in many cases media has operated at the behest of political parties and factions.

— ken stern, vanityfair.com, "“Combat Journalism”: How the Internet Changed the Republican Party Forever," 24 Oct. 2017
Kevin Anchukaitis, a paleoclimatologist at the University of Arizona not affiliated with the study, tells St. Fleur that the research does not take certain factions into account like the effects of El Niño.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Volcanic Eruptions Could Have Spurred Revolts in Ancient Egypt," 20 Oct. 2017
The year also saw the rise of two rival protest factions whose modest contingents left an outsize imprint.

— shane dixon kavanaugh, OregonLive.com, "Portland's year of protests: Did they matter?," 5 Nov. 2017
With his departure from political life, Iraq lost one of its few brakes on the divisions among its rival factions, and Masoud Barzani began dealing with Baghdad directly.

— susannah george, Philly.com, "Jalal Talabani, Kurdish leader who rose to presidency of Iraq," 4 Oct. 2017
During the past year, different factions have prepared for the next generation.

— steven j. horowitz, Billboard, "Meet the Next Wave of Boy Bands: PRETTYMUCH, Why Don't We and CNCO," 24 Aug. 2017
His partners wanted him out of the way, and the Zambada faction had already taken over.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "A Candid Conversation with Don Winslow About the NYPD, El Chapo, and Why the Wall Won't Work," 15 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of faction

Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin faction-, factio act of making, faction — more at fashion

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First Known Use: 1509

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faction Synonyms

Synonyms

bloc, block, body, coalition, party, sect, set, side, wing

Related Words

splinter, split; crew, gang, pack, team; denomination, persuasion; schism, scission; caucus, movement

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

-faction

noun combining form

Definition of -faction

: making : -fication

petrifaction

Origin and Etymology of -faction

Latin -faction-, -factio (as in satisfaction-, satisfactio satisfaction)

FACTION Defined for English Language Learners

faction

noun

Definition of faction for English Language Learners

: a group within a larger group that has different ideas and opinions than the rest of the group

Learn More about faction

See words that rhyme with faction Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for faction Spanish Central: Translation of faction Nglish: Translation of faction for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of faction for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about faction

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faction

Definition of faction

factional

factionalism

factionally

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Examples of faction in a Sentence

Recent Examples of faction from the Web

Origin and Etymology of faction

faction Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Government and Politics Terms

-faction

Definition of -faction

Origin and Etymology of -faction

FACTION Defined for English Language Learners

faction

Definition of faction for English Language Learners

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