: a usually mandatory oath affirming the loyalty of its taker (as to a sovereign, government, or party principles)
ruled the Genevese … with the help of loyalty oaths and the gibbet—
Times Literary Supplement the loyalty oath will be abandoned at the next Democratic convention—Newsweek
especially
: an oath often required of public employees or applicants for public employment in the U.S. typically affirming that the signer upholds the U.S. or state constitutions and is not knowingly a member of any of a number of organizations held to be subversive
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Copy Citation
Share