Not taking any political side. A non-partisan report is one that does not favour a party; a non-partisan body is one that is set up to serve everyone rather than to help one group win.

To feel the word, you need the word inside it. A partisan is a firm supporter of one party or one side — someone who backs their team whatever the facts are. So non-partisan means standing outside that, judging the question rather than the jersey. It is used of people (a non-partisan expert), of organizations (a non-partisan election commission), and of documents (a non-partisan analysis of the budget).

The word lives mainly in political and journalistic English, and it is strongest in the United States, where certain offices and groups are formally labelled non-partisan. In American local elections, a non-partisan race is one where the candidates' party names do not even appear on the ballot paper.

It is a word people claim more often than they earn. "Non-partisan think tank" is what almost every think tank calls itself, including the ones everybody knows lean one way. Treat it as a claim being made, not a fact established. And note it is not the same as having no views — a non-partisan analyst may hold strong opinions about the policy while refusing to line up behind a party.

Spelled non-partisan or nonpartisan; also written "bipartisan" for the different idea of two parties working together.