YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

staunch

Adjective

IPA /stɔːntʃ/

Understand it. Say it. Use it.

UNDERSTAND THE WORD

Meaning in plain English

Firmly loyal and strongly supportive over time.

SAY IT ALOUD

Pronunciation

staunch/stɔːntʃ/

PICTURE THE IDEA

See the meaning

Follow the idea

Support when the cause is popular
Difficult times arrive
Support remains strong

A staunch supporter stays loyal even when circumstances become difficult.

SEE IT IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Examples in context

Read the examples aloud. Notice how the word fits the sentence, then think of a situation of your own.

She has remained a staunch supporter of the local animal shelter.
Our tutor was a staunch advocate of making education accessible.

MAKE IT STICK

Quick word quiz

Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.

Can you recall the word?

Complete the example using the word from this lesson.

She has remained a ________ supporter of the local animal shelter.

Show the answer

staunch — Firmly loyal and strongly supportive over time.

Try your own sentence (optional)

Make it yours

Write one sentence using “staunch” about your own life.

Your sentence (optional)

Check your sentence

Does your sentence match this meaning?

Firmly loyal and strongly supportive over time.

Compare: She has remained a staunch supporter of the local animal shelter.

Check the spelling and how the word fits the sentence. Your example can be different.

Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.

This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.

Word origin

From Old French forms originally meaning watertight; the sense of firm loyalty developed later.

Did you know?

Staunch commonly appears before supporter, ally, friend or defender.

Explore related words

Open a word’s lesson when available, or explore entries that use the related term.

Make the word your own

Say the word aloud and read an example sentence.
Write a new sentence about something familiar to you.
Cover the meaning and try explaining the word in your own words.

Continue with the app’s practice check, then try a sentence of your own to mark this word complete.

Practise this word in the app

Completion and saved words stay in this browser on this device.