federation

noun

fed·​er·​a·​tion ˌfe-də-ˈrā-shən 

1

: an encompassing political or societal entity formed by uniting smaller or more localized entities: such as

a

: a federal government

b

: a union of organizations

2

: the act of creating or becoming a federation

especially : the forming of a federal union

Synonyms

• alliance
• axis
• bloc
• block
• coalition
• combination
• combine
• confederacy
• confederation
• league
• union

Examples of federation in a Sentence

a federation of labor unions

a federation of women's clubs

the federation of the states

Recent Examples on the Web

The latter are important, but also hard to judge on equal terms, given the relative strengths of the different football federations. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 June 2025

The country’s federation joined World Boxing in September, one of more than 100 national federations that have joined the body since it was established in 2023. —Reuters, CNN Money, 4 June 2025

Elsewhere, the International Olympic Committee has decided to allow global federations that govern a variety of sports to create their respective eligibility rules. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2025

Exile away from the rest of the civilized federation. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for federation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

federation

noun

fed·​er·​a·​tion ˌfed-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: a political body formed by uniting smaller bodies

especially : a federal government

2

: the act of creating or becoming a federation