Tory

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A member of a British political party, founded in 1689, that was the opposition party to the Whigs and has been known as the Conservative Party since about 1832.
2. n. A member of a Conservative Party, as in Canada.
3. n. An American who, during the period of the American Revolution, favored the British side. Also called Loyalist.
4. n. A supporter of traditional political and social institutions against the forces of democratization or reform; a political conservative.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Originally, an Irish robber or outlaw, one of a class noted for their outrages and savage cruelty.
2. n. Hence, one who causes terror; a hector; a bully.
3. n. A member of one of the two great British political parties, opposed to the Whigs and later to the Liberals. The precursors of the Tories were the Cavaliers in the civil war period; after the Restoration (1660) the old Cavalier party became the Court party, opposed to the Country party, and to these the terms Tory and Whig were respectively applied by their opponents about 1679: the word was used in reproach, through a desire to identify the members of the Court party with the supporters of alleged papistic measures, in allusion to the Irish outlaws (see def. 1). The Tories supported hereditary divine right and opposed toleration of Dissenters, and after the Revolution of 1688 their radical wing was Jacobite. Later they upheld the authority of the crown (especially in the reign of George III.), and in general in later years they stood out for maintaining the existing order of things in church and state. They opposed the Reform Bill, and about the same time (1832) the name Tory began to be superseded by Conservative. (See conservative, 3.) The word Tory, however, is still in common use.
4. n. In American hist., a member of the British party during the Revolutionary period; a loyalist. The Tories were very numerous, especially in the Middle and Southern colonies, and many of them took arms for the king. They were frequently severely persecuted, and after the war many of them emigrated to Canada and elsewhere.
5. n. In general, a conservative; one who favors established authority and institutions, especially in a monarchy or an aristocracy; a person of aristocratic principles, as opposed to a democrat or a radical.
6. Pertaining to or characteristic of tories, in any sense; specifically [capitalized], belonging or relating to the Tories: as, a Tory government; Tory principles or measures. See I.

Wiktionary

1. n. UK A member or supporter of the British Conservative Party, which evolved from Royalist politicians; associated with upholding the rights of the monarchy and the privileges of the established Church.
2. n. by extension One who is like a British Tory; someone politically conservative.
3. n. Canada A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada or one of that party's predecessors.
4. n. historical A pejorative nickname given to the political factions who sought to exclude James, Duke of York from the throne of England (the Exclusioners) in the 17th century.
5. n. obsolete except historical A pejorative term for an Irish rebel fighting against English rule at the end of the Confederate War and Cromwellian invasion; later extended to other rebels or bandits.
6. n. US, Historical, American Revolution A loyal British citizen.
7. n. US, Historical, American Civil War, Confederate states A Union sympathizer.
8. adj. UK Of or belonging to the Tory Party or the Conservative Party.
9. adj. Canada Of or belonging to the Conservative Party of Canada or one of that party's predecessors.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Eng. Politics) A member of the conservative party, as opposed to the progressive party which was formerly called the Whig, and is now called the Liberal, party; an earnest supporter of existing royal and ecclesiastical authority.
2. n. (Amer. Hist.) One who, in the time of the Revolution, favored submitting to the claims of Great Britain against the colonies; an adherent to the crown.
3. adj. Of or pertaining to the Tories.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a member of political party in Great Britain that has been known as the Conservative Party since 1832; was the opposition party to the Whigs
2. n. an American who favored the British side during the American Revolution
3. n. a supporter of traditional political and social institutions against the forces of reform; a political conservative