confederate

1 of 3

adjective

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rət 

1

: united in a league : allied

2

Confederate : of or relating to the Confederate States of America

confederate

2 of 3

noun

plural confederates

1

: ally, accomplice

2

Confederate : an adherent of the Confederate States of America or their cause

confederate

3 of 3

verb

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfe-də-ˌrāt 

confederated; confederating

transitive verb

: to unite in a confederacy

intransitive verb

: to band together

confederative

kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rə-tiv 

-də-ˌrā-

adjective

Synonyms

Noun

• abettor
• abetter
• accessory
• accessary
• accomplice
• cohort

Verb

• ally
• associate
• band (together)
• club
• coalesce
• cohere
• conjoin
• cooperate
• federate
• league
• unite

Examples of confederate in a Sentence

Noun

the Yankees and the Confederates

the police were able to track down his confederates once the thief started talking

Verb

the nations confederated in order to lower international trade barriers

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

An article on Saturday about a school district in Virginia that voted to reinstate confederate names to several schools misstated the surname of a former member of the Shenandoah County school board. —New York Times, 14 May 2024

The provision was used often in the years immediately after the Civil War, but fell into disuse after Congress granted an amnesty to many confederate veterans in 1872. —Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English confederat, from Late Latin confoederatus, past participle of confoederare to unite by a league, from Latin com- + foeder-, foedus compact — more at federal

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

confederate

1 of 3 adjective

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfed-(ə-)rət 

1

: united in a league : allied

2

capitalized : of or relating to the Confederate States of America

Confederate money

confederate

2 of 3 noun

1

: ally entry 2 sense 2a, accomplice

2

capitalized : a soldier, citizen, or supporter of the Confederate States of America

confederate

3 of 3 verb

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfed-ə-ˌrāt 

confederated; confederating

: to unite in a confederacy