1. (n.) An adherent to a party or faction; one who is strongly and passionately devoted to a party or an interest\.

2. (n.) The commander of a body of detached light troops engaged in making forays and harassing an enemy.

3. (n.) Any member of such a corps.

4. (a.) Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party; as, blinded by partisan zeal.

5. (a.) Serving as a partisan in a detached command; as, a partisan officer or corps.

6. (n.) A kind of halberd or pike; also, a truncheon; a staff.

Charley Conservative Democrat Labourite Maecenas Republican Tory VC Vietcong Whig abettor acquaintance adherent admirer advocate aficionado aggressive alter ego angel antiblack apologist appendage attendant backer bellicose belligerent best friend biased bickering bigoted bipartisan biparty blind booster bosom friend brother buff bushfighter bushwhacker casual casual acquaintance cavaliere servente champion chauvinistic close acquaintance close friend cohort colored combative confidant confidante courtier dangler defender denominational dependence dependent devoted devotee die-hard disciple disputatious divisive doctrinaire dogmatic encourager endorser enthusiast eristic exponent factional factious familiar fan fanatic favorer fellow fellow creature fellowman flunky follower following freedom friend friend at court guerilla guerrilla hanger-on heeler henchman homme de cour influenced inseparable friend interested intimate involved irascible irregular irritable jaundiced know-nothing limited litigious lover loyalist mainstay maintainer maquis maquisard myopic narrow narrow-minded neighbor nonobjective one-sided opinionated other self paranymph parasite parochial partial party party faithful party hack party man party member party wheelhorse patriot patron pickup polarizing polemic prejudiced prepossessed promoter protagonist public pugnacious pursuer pursuivant quarrelsome racist registered Democrat registered Republican regular reliance repository resistance resistance fighter rooter satellite second seconder sectarian sectary sectional sexist shadow short-sighted shrewish sider sponsor stalwart standby stooge successor superpatriotic support supporter sustainer swayed sympathizer tagtail tail tendentious trainbearer twisted ultranationalist underground underground fighter undetached undispassionate unneutral unreasoning upholder votary ward heeler warped well-wisher wheelhorse wrangling xenophobic zealot