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⇱ FACTION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Definition
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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 …—👁 Image
Ernest Barker

-faction

2 of 2

noun combining form

: making : -fication
petrifaction

Synonyms of faction

Examples of faction in a Sentence

Noun The committee soon split into factions. several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
If anything, the war has given more power to the hardline military factions inside the complex system of Iranian governance, as well as bolstered anti-American sentiments. —👁 Image
Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026 Hook hopes an induction could perhaps serve as an olive branch between the two factions. —👁 Image
Devon Ivie, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026 Therefore, the party’s direction is the result of some compromise among the various factions of the party. —👁 Image
Richard Davis, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026 Elected in 1980, Bani Sadr quickly came into conflict with clerical factions over the direction of the revolution and the conduct of the Iran-Iraq war. —👁 Image
Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for faction

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French faccion, borrowed from Latin factiōn-, factiō "act of making, social set, band, group, self-seeking political group," from facere "to make, bring about, place, classify" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at fact

Note: A doublet of faction is fashion entry 1, from the Gallo-Romance outcome of Latin factiō, which maintains only the meaning "act of making," sparsely attested outside of early Latin except in legal use.

Noun combining form

borrowed from Latin -factiōn-, -factiō (as in satisfactiōn-, satisfactiō satisfaction)

First Known Use

Noun

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of faction was in 1509

Rhymes for faction

Browse Nearby Words

-faction
faction
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Faction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faction. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

: a group acting together within a larger body (as a government) : clique

More from Merriam-Webster on faction

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