staunch

Universal Words adjective, verb adjective (superlative staunchest, no comparative) strong and loyal in your opinions and attitude: a staunch supporter of the monarchy * one of the president's staunchest allies * a staunch Catholic staunchly adverb: She staunchly defended the new policy. * The family was staunchly Protestant. staunchness noun [U] verb (also stanch especially in AmE) [VN] (formal) to stop the flow of sth, especially blood