coalition

noun

co·​a·​li·​tion ˌkō-ə-ˈli-shən 

1

a

: the act of coalescing : union

the coalition of water vapor into raindrops

b

: a body formed by the coalescing of originally distinct elements : combination

They formed a coalition with downtown merchants.

2

: a temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action

A multiparty coalition ruled the country.

coalitionist

ˌkō-ə-ˈli-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

Synonyms of coalition

• faction
• party
• wing
• side
• bloc
• team

Examples of coalition in a Sentence

The groups united to form a coalition.

A multiparty coalition ruled the country.

The group is working in coalition with other environmental groups.

Recent Examples on the Web

The coalition now spans chipmakers, cloud providers, security vendors, application companies and the venture firms behind them. — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Some people, including Tellez, believe a diplomatic solution is still possible, in which a coalition of countries negotiates with Nicaragua’s leaders for a transition to democracy. — Ismael López, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Pilots, maintenance crews, logistics systems, weapons, software, and training are increasingly shared across a large coalition ecosystem. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026

Two years ago, a broad bipartisan coalition in the House approved the Social Security Fairness Act. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin coalescere — see coalesce

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for coalition

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• cognition
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition

Kids Definition

coalition

noun

co·​ali·​tion

ˌkō-ə-ˈlish-ən

: a temporary union of persons, parties, or countries for a common purpose