fraternity

noun

fra·​ter·​ni·​ty frə-ˈtər-nə-tē How to pronounce fraternity (audio)
plural fraternities
1
: a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or pleasure: such as
a
: a fraternal order
c
: a men's student organization formed chiefly for social purposes having secret rites and a name consisting of Greek letters
d
: a student organization for scholastic, professional, or extracurricular activities
a debating fraternity
2
: the quality or state of being brothers : brotherliness
3
: persons of the same class, profession, character, or tastes
the racetrack fraternity

Examples of fraternity in a Sentence

an atmosphere of fraternity and cooperation a firm believer in community service and a dedicated member of the local fraternity of Good Samaritans
Recent Examples on the Web This year, a total of six fraternities and five sororities at Clemson welcomed students from ClemsonLIFE. Steve Hartman, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024 When a brutal hazing incident threatens to shut down all fraternity and sorority operations on campus, these cousins hatch a plan for Lucien to seduce Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), the daughter of the Vice President of the United States who's a student at the university. Nick Romano, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024 Most recently, Black men raised $1.3 million for Harris in the first week of her announcing and Black fraternities pledged their support without hesitation. Brea Baker, refinery29.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Director Ethan Berger has spoken a lot about you being fully immersed in the character and doing your own field research by going to different fraternities and parties. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fraternity 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fraternity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fraternity was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fraternity

Cite this Entry

“Fraternity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraternity. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fraternity

noun
fra·​ter·​ni·​ty frə-ˈtər-nət-ē How to pronounce fraternity (audio)
plural fraternities
1
: a social, honorary, or professional organization
especially : a social club of male college students
2

More from Merriam-Webster on fraternity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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