cohort

noun

co·​hort ˈkō-ˌhȯrt 

1

: companion, colleague

a few of their … cohorts decided to form a company

—Burt Hochberg

2

a

: band, group

a cohort of supporters

b

: a group of individuals having a statistical factor (such as age or class membership) in common in a demographic study

a cohort of premedical students

the cohort of people born in the 1980s

c

: one of 10 divisions of an ancient Roman legion

d

: a group of warriors or soldiers

Did you know?

In ancient times, a cohort was a military unit, one of ten divisions in a Roman legion. The term passed into English in the 15th century, when it was used in translations and writings about Roman history. Once cohort became established in our language, its meaning was extended, first to refer to any body of troops, then to any group of individuals with something in common, and later to a single companion. Some usage commentators have objected to this last sense because it can be hard to tell whether the plural refers to different individuals or different groups. The "companion" sense is well established in standard use, however, and its meaning is clear enough in such sentences as "her cohorts came along with her to the game."

Synonyms

• associate
• companion
• compatriot
• compeer
• comrade
• crony
• fellow
• hobnobber
• mate
• running mate

Examples of cohort in a Sentence

The police arrested the gang's leader and his cohorts.

Depression was a common problem for people in that age cohort.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2024, 164 of the world’s 237 states met those criteria, a cohort, incidentally, that excludes most East, South, and Southeast Asian states. —Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Her contributions to the cohort have been inspiring. —The Courier-Journal, 22 Apr. 2024

And more than 1,000 children have lost limbs, leading to the largest cohort of child amputees in history. —Elliot Kukla, TIME, 22 Apr. 2024

In 2019: Defensive end Nick Bosa was gifted to them at No. 2 overall, once NFC West cohort Arizona used the No. 1 selection on former Oakland A’s draft pick Kyler Murray. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2024

Her husband said in an interview last week that Ms. Dauda refused to join the cohort of Chibok Girls freed in 2017 after government negotiations. —Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024

The same study found that Gen Z was the least likely cohort to seek out medical care for those conditions because behavioral health care is too expensive. —Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

That’s significant because that cohort is experiencing an even lower unemployment rate than the nation overall. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

All programs have received considerable interest: Despite only taking on less than 10 people per class, Tiffany’s New York cohort received more than 500 applicants, the Rhode Island program saw 200, and TAG’s program got more than 100 applicants. —Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin cohort-, cohors — more at court

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

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Kids Definition

cohort

noun

co·​hort ˈkō-ˌhȯrt 

1

a

: one of 10 divisions of an ancient Roman legion

b

: a group of warriors or followers

2

: companion sense 1, accomplice

Medical Definition

cohort

noun

co·​hort ˈkō-ˌhȯ(ə)rt 

: a group of individuals having a statistical factor (as age or risk) in common

the population consisted of two cohorts: 204 clearly exposed and 163 not exposed

—R. R. Suskind et al.