Brownshirt
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A uniformed member of the German Nazi Party (NSDAP), especially a storm trooper of the Sturmabteilung. historical
"A heavy arched door was pouring a raucous and lurching party of Brownshirts on to the trampled snow. […] Half-way up the vaulted stairs a groaning Brownshirt, propped against the wall on a swastika'd arm, was unloosing, in a staunchless gush down the steps, the intake of hours."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of Brownshirt. alt-of
- 3 a member of the Nazi SA which wore brown uniforms wordnet
- 4 Any member of a fascist party; any person accused of being neofascist or neo-Nazi.
Example
More examples"A heavy arched door was pouring a raucous and lurching party of Brownshirts on to the trampled snow. […] Half-way up the vaulted stairs a groaning Brownshirt, propped against the wall on a swastika'd arm, was unloosing, in a staunchless gush down the steps, the intake of hours."
Etymology
Calque of German Braunhemd, the nickname for a member of the Sturmabteilung, in reference to their brown uniforms. Equivalent to brown + shirt.
Related phrases
More for "brownshirt"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.