Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Firm and steadfast; true. See Synonyms at faithful.
- adj. Having a strong or substantial construction or constitution.
- v. Variant of stanch1. See Usage Note at staunch1.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- See stanch, etc.
Wiktionary
- adj. loyal, trustworthy, reliable, outstanding
- adj. dependable, persistent
- v. To stop the flow of (blood).
- v. To stop, check, or deter an action.
GNU Webster's 1913
WordNet 3.0
- adj. firm and dependable especially in loyalty
- v. stop the flow of a liquid
Etymologies
- Middle English staunche, from Anglo-Norman estaunche, from estaunchier, to stanch, variant of Old French estanchier; see stanch1.
Examples
“Her idea of being a "great American" (a label staunch conservatives like Coulter, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh bestow on each other) is to proudly wear her homophobia and racial and religious intolerance on her sleeve like a badge of honor.”
“I needed to do what's best for my family," she said Tuesday, adding that she and her 30-year-old husband, Jason, remain staunch Obama supporters.”
The Huffington Post: Struggling Mom Jennifer Cline Sells Obama Letter For $7,000 To Survive
“Nonetheless, even those in staunch opposition are usually won over once Ferret works his furry [...] 2 April 2010, 0: 57 am”
Global Voices in English » Global Voices Unofficial Mascot Loses Left Eye
“A former member of the Arlington School Board and the Arlington County Board, who served as a representative on the Metro board, Whipple, 70, has been known as a staunch advocate of public transit and the environment.”
The Washington Post: Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple retiring from Virginia Senate
“Summary: Although staunch is the most common spelling of the adjective meaning “firm” and stanch is the most common spelling of the verb meaning “stop (the flow)”, both spellings are acceptable for both meanings.”
“Menino was described as a "staunch opponent" of the retailer.”
The Huffington Post: Al Norman: Summertime and the Givin' Is Sleazy
“Appointed to Morals Court in 1926, she became known as a staunch advocate of women's rights and used her position to protect the needs of women and families, publicly arguing that abandonment be treated as a felony and that grounds for divorce be made more difficult for the man.”
“North Texas Liberal reports on President Bush's loss of an ally in staunch conservative PM John Howard of Australia, whose Liberal Party lost handily to the Labor opposition in Saturday's elections.”
“But in staunch ignorance of what might make you reach for the fast-forward button and rightfully so, the dances are entertaining enough to keep you hanging on.”
“HASSELBECK: I love that term staunch Republican, as if I'm never going to think about anything.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘staunch’.
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Phonestheme: ST-, the Defender
Grateful credit to http://reocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9783/phond1.html.
staunch, steadfast, stolid, strong, stay, steel, stiff, stubborn, stuffy, stable, stalwart, steady and 11 more...
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Words with 'aunch' in them.
For some reason this combination has always appealed to me; sometimes to the point of altering words to make them.
launch, staunch, paunch, craunch, haunch, aunchient, traunch, raunchy, launcheon, raunch, paunchy, faunch and 17 more...
ofravens at his hand's staunch hest, birds build.
from "Ode for Ted," Sylvia Plath Apr 14, 2008
sonofgroucho Why has it taken so long for this word to appear? Always seems come before "supporter" doesn't it? Oct 21, 2007
infostyx " if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. " Oct 21, 2007