sup ‧ port ‧ er S3 W2 /səˈpɔːtə $ -ɔːrtər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ support , ↑ supporter ; adjective : ↑ supportive , ↑ supporting ; verb : ↑ support ]
1 . someone who supports a particular person, group, or plan ⇨ fan
strong/firm/staunch supporter
one of Bush’s staunchest supporters
supporter of
supporters of animal rights legislation
2 . British English someone who likes a particular sports team, and often goes to watch them play SYN fan :
Manchester United supporters
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + supporter
▪ a strong supporter
He was a strong supporter of co-education.
▪ a loyal supporter
The party still has many loyal supporters.
▪ a staunch supporter (=a strong and loyal supporter)
Even his staunchest supporters acknowledge that he is unlikely to win.
▪ an enthusiastic/keen supporter
Eisenhower had been an enthusiastic supporter of the regime.
▪ an ardent/fervent supporter (=very enthusiastic)
She is an ardent supporter of the government's proposed tax reforms.
▪ an active supporter
He remained an active supporter of Greenpeace.
▪ a leading supporter
Many of his leading supporters had by now either escaped abroad or been captured.
▪ a political supporter
He is one of the governor's key political supporters.
▪ Obama/Labour etc supporters
Most of the newspaper's readers were Labour supporters.