plural allies
1
: a sovereign or state associated with another by treaty or league
America and its allies
2
: one that is associated with another as a helper : a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle
a political ally
She has proven to be a valuable ally in the fight for better working conditions.
—often now used specifically of a person who is not a member of a marginalized or mistreated group but who expresses or gives support to that group
The storyline on "Glee" captures something larger that we are seeing with a new generation of allies (allies are people who support LGBT rights but aren't LGBT themselves).—
David M. Hall
David M. Hall3
: a plant or animal linked to another by genetic or taxonomic proximity
ferns and their allies
-ally
3 of 3adverb suffix
: -ly entry 2
terrifically
—in adverbs formed from adjectives in -ic with no alternative form in -ical
Synonyms
Examples of ally in a Sentence
Verb
There may be occasions when America can ally with some of those states, as we did during the Gulf War.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 15 Oct. 2001
Teresa's right to teach, however, would not be vindicated until our time when the late Paul VI named her a doctor of the church. In her own lifetime Teresa had the good sense to ally herself with outstanding supporters such as the observant Franciscan Peter Alcantara and the famous Dominican theologian, Domenico Báñez.
—Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal, 28 Jan. 2000
The singers ally themselves with a gifted songwriter, and everyone gets some major-label exposure for what just happens to be a splendid album.
—Michael Azerrad, Rolling Stone, 13-27 July 1995
Generally, however, psychoanalysts do ally themselves with two positions, the first of which is that dreams are meaningful.
—Wynn Schwartz, Dreamtime and Dreamwork, 1990
She's allied herself with the moderates on this issue.
countries allying themselves with the EU
He'll even admit that he's hoping to ally himself to a wealthy family by marriage.
They've allied with their former enemies.
Noun
When the Soviets pulled out in early 1989, the ensuing power vacuum turned former allies into enemies. The Muslim fighters known as mujahideen, who were unified in their struggle against the Soviets, disbanded and fought one another for control of Kabul in a devastating civil war.
—Jiffer Bourguignon, Saveur, March 2008
Our allies would need us more than we would need them, so we could count on them to rally to our side in a crunch.
—Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
These groups have learned from experience that the media are their most valuable ally. Publicity increases tips that fuel an investigation, and many communities have launched special-alert systems in the past few years to get news of an abduction on the air within minutes.
—Andrew Murr, Newsweek, 29 July 2002
fought with the Allies in World War II
She's counting on her allies in the state legislature.
Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 15 Oct. 2001
Teresa's right to teach, however, would not be vindicated until our time when the late Paul VI named her a doctor of the church. In her own lifetime Teresa had the good sense to ally herself with outstanding supporters such as the observant Franciscan Peter Alcantara and the famous Dominican theologian, Domenico Báñez.
—Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal, 28 Jan. 2000
The singers ally themselves with a gifted songwriter, and everyone gets some major-label exposure for what just happens to be a splendid album.
—Michael Azerrad, Rolling Stone, 13-27 July 1995
Generally, however, psychoanalysts do ally themselves with two positions, the first of which is that dreams are meaningful.
—Wynn Schwartz, Dreamtime and Dreamwork, 1990
She's allied herself with the moderates on this issue.
countries allying themselves with the EU
He'll even admit that he's hoping to ally himself to a wealthy family by marriage.
They've allied with their former enemies.
Noun
When the Soviets pulled out in early 1989, the ensuing power vacuum turned former allies into enemies. The Muslim fighters known as mujahideen, who were unified in their struggle against the Soviets, disbanded and fought one another for control of Kabul in a devastating civil war.
—Jiffer Bourguignon, Saveur, March 2008
Our allies would need us more than we would need them, so we could count on them to rally to our side in a crunch.
—Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
These groups have learned from experience that the media are their most valuable ally. Publicity increases tips that fuel an investigation, and many communities have launched special-alert systems in the past few years to get news of an abduction on the air within minutes.
—Andrew Murr, Newsweek, 29 July 2002
fought with the Allies in World War II
She's counting on her allies in the state legislature.
Recent Examples on the WebMatthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Set between Star Wars episodes III and IV, this first spinoff film from the main franchise follows a group of rebels who ally to steal plans for the Death Star from a database on the planet Scarif.
—EW.com, 13 May 2024
Later, the British Crown’s prohibition against additional Anglo-American settlement of land occupied by indigenous tribes allied with it during the French and Indian War infuriated the colonists, contributing to their subsequently declaring independence.
—Jon Sebastian Shifrin, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2024
John Sinclair, an activist who founded the White Panther Party, an organization allied with the Black Panthers, managed the band.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 10 May 2024
If no single party wins an outright majority, then the leading party will usually ally with other, smaller parties.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
What the Western Front stands for is never explained (nor how these states allied with each other).
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
In turn, the SAF leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has turned to Egypt and Turkey for support and has allied with Eritrea.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
The war has derailed U.S.-led efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia; prompted protests and unrest in Arab states allied to the United States, like Jordan; strained Israel’s international legitimacy; and threatened to evolve into a regional conflict.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Jessica Roy, New York Times, 26 May 2024
As Cas slowly became the Winchesters’ biggest advocate, ally, accomplice, and source of fish-out-of-water humor, his relationship with Dean often set the internet ablaze.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 26 May 2024
He is considered a close ally of Bass, who represented a portion of South L.A. during her time as a legislator.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024
Her search for a mysterious ally brings together tense storytelling with gameplay and the game’s spectacular visuals, but in sections such as the foreboding forest, Ninja Theory doesn’t do much with the promising locale other than to move the plot forward with some light interactivity.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 24 May 2024
Tensions on May 23 came amid protests outside Taiwan’s legislature against moves by the Nationalists and allies to use their slim majority to force through legislation that could affect military budgets and key judicial and other appointments.
—Christopher Bodeen, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
The threat was circumvented because Japan, an ally, voluntarily agreed to numeric quotas, forcing its exports into luxury brands and moving some of its manufacturing to the U.S.
—Chris Bataille, Fortune, 23 May 2024
Obrador also said that the Citizens Movement party, viewed as allies of his Morena party, should not be blamed before investigations begin.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 23 May 2024
How big brands became allies of the LGBTQ+ community
Observed every year in June, Pride Month commemorates the 1969 riots following a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 22 May 2024
Verb
Image On July 18, 2011, two months after Raziq became police chief, John R. Allen, then a four-star Marine general, took command of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Set between Star Wars episodes III and IV, this first spinoff film from the main franchise follows a group of rebels who ally to steal plans for the Death Star from a database on the planet Scarif.
—EW.com, 13 May 2024
Later, the British Crown’s prohibition against additional Anglo-American settlement of land occupied by indigenous tribes allied with it during the French and Indian War infuriated the colonists, contributing to their subsequently declaring independence.
—Jon Sebastian Shifrin, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2024
John Sinclair, an activist who founded the White Panther Party, an organization allied with the Black Panthers, managed the band.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 10 May 2024
If no single party wins an outright majority, then the leading party will usually ally with other, smaller parties.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
What the Western Front stands for is never explained (nor how these states allied with each other).
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
In turn, the SAF leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has turned to Egypt and Turkey for support and has allied with Eritrea.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
The war has derailed U.S.-led efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia; prompted protests and unrest in Arab states allied to the United States, like Jordan; strained Israel’s international legitimacy; and threatened to evolve into a regional conflict.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Living in the Past: When the pandemic hit, the company Samson Historical that specializes in 18th-century re-enactment clothing and goods found an unlikely ally: the internet.
—Jessica Roy, New York Times, 26 May 2024
As Cas slowly became the Winchesters’ biggest advocate, ally, accomplice, and source of fish-out-of-water humor, his relationship with Dean often set the internet ablaze.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 26 May 2024
He is considered a close ally of Bass, who represented a portion of South L.A. during her time as a legislator.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024
Her search for a mysterious ally brings together tense storytelling with gameplay and the game’s spectacular visuals, but in sections such as the foreboding forest, Ninja Theory doesn’t do much with the promising locale other than to move the plot forward with some light interactivity.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 24 May 2024
Tensions on May 23 came amid protests outside Taiwan’s legislature against moves by the Nationalists and allies to use their slim majority to force through legislation that could affect military budgets and key judicial and other appointments.
—Christopher Bodeen, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
The threat was circumvented because Japan, an ally, voluntarily agreed to numeric quotas, forcing its exports into luxury brands and moving some of its manufacturing to the U.S.
—Chris Bataille, Fortune, 23 May 2024
Obrador also said that the Citizens Movement party, viewed as allies of his Morena party, should not be blamed before investigations begin.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 23 May 2024
How big brands became allies of the LGBTQ+ community
Observed every year in June, Pride Month commemorates the 1969 riots following a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 22 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ally.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ally
Cite this Entry
“Ally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ally. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
-ally
3 of 3 adverb suffix
-al·ly
(ə-)lē
Etymology
Verb
Middle English allien "unite," from early French alier (same meaning), derived from Latin al-, ad- "to" and ligare "to bind" — related to ligament
Adverb suffix
from 1-al + -ly
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