1. people who support or belong to the Republican Party in the United States
Usage: capitalized when referring to the political party
2. people who support a republican form of government where power is held by elected representatives
Usage: lowercase when referring to the general political philosophy

Examples

• Many Republicans voted against the proposed tax increase.
• The Republicans held their national convention in July.
• She has been a lifelong Republican supporter.
• The republicans in the country opposed the monarchy.
• Historical republicans believed in representative government.
• Both Republicans and Democrats attended the bipartisan meeting.
• The early American republicans rejected rule by kings.