ally

1 of 3

verb

allied; allying

transitive verb

: to unite or form a connection or relation between : associate
He allied himself with a wealthy family by marriage.

intransitive verb

: to form or enter into an alliance
two factions allying with each other

ally

2 of 3

noun

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
3
: a plant or animal linked to another by genetic or taxonomic proximity
ferns and their allies

-ally

3 of 3

adverb suffix

: -ly entry 2
terrifically
in adverbs formed from adjectives in -ic with no alternative form in -ical

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
So the Christian pro-Western faction allied with Israel faced a coalition made of pan-Arabists, Muslims and leftists. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 With all of this at play internally, Coates goes beyond allying himself with the Palestinian cause. Daniel Bergner, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2024
Noun
In that context, a second Trump presidency could begin with a trade war, and a verbal assault on the currencies of ostensible allies that have weakened in recent years, such as the yen. Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024 Trump allies pushed through new vote-counting rules in Georgia, including the hand tallying of ballots versus relying on machines -- a push the former president has alleged will help weed out fraud but that experts have insisted will instead lead to more errors. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ally 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English allien, from Anglo-French alier, from Latin alligare to bind to, from ad- + ligare to bind — more at ligature

Adverb suffix

-al entry 1 + -ly

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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

Dictionary Entries Near ally

Cite this Entry

“Ally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ally. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

ally

1 of 3 verb
allied; allying
: to form a connection or relation between : unite
especially : to join in an alliance

ally

2 of 3 noun
plural allies
1
: a plant or animal linked to another by genetic or evolutionary relationship
ferns and their allies
2
a
: one associated or united with another for some common purpose
b
plural capitalized : the Allied nations in World War I or World War II

-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

More from Merriam-Webster on ally

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!