# Tory

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɔː.ɹi/ · frequency rank #8,368

## Definitions
1. A member or supporter of the Conservative Party, which evolved from Royalist politicians; historically associated with upholding the rights of the monarchy and the privileges of the established Church.
2. One who is like a British Tory; someone politically conservative.
3. A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, one of that party's predecessors, or an affiliated provincial political party.
4. A member of the political factions that sought to prevent the exclusion of James, Duke of York, from the throne of England in the 17th century.
5. 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. A loyal British subject during the American Revolution.
7. A Union sympathizer in the Confederate States during the American Civil War.

## Etymology
From Irish tóraí (“pursuer”), from tóir (“pursuit”). The first recorded use in English is from a 1646 letter by James Butler, Earl of Ormond, to a Colonel O'Brien, describing bandits and thieves on main roadways.

## Easily confused with
- **Ty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-ty)
- **try** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-try)
- **toy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-toy)
- **tow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tow)
- **tri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tri)
- **TOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tos)
- **tot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tot)
- **tre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tre)
- **tra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tra)
- **tru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tru)
- **TRP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-trp)
- **tur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tur)
- **TOV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tov)
- **Tyr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tyr)
- **turn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-turn)
- **town** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-town)
- **tour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-tour)
- **toys** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-toys)
- **Troy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-troy)
- **toss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tory-vs-toss)

## Common misspellings (5)
`otry`, `torry`, `toryy`, `toyr`, `ttory`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tory