con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rət 
1
: united in a league : allied
2
Confederate
: of or relating to the Confederate States of America
plural confederates
1
: ally, accomplice
2
Confederate
: an adherent of the Confederate States of America or their cause
con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfe-də-ˌrāt
confederated; confederating
: to unite in a confederacy
: to band together
Examples of confederate in a Sentence
Noun
the Yankees and the Confederates
the police were able to track down his confederates once the thief started talking
Verb
the nations confederated in order to lower international trade barriers
Recent Examples on the Web
Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024
President Lincoln was assassinated by a confederate sympathizer.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
So, for those who do depend on the EpiPen to routinely save their own lives, Laufer and his pharma-hacking confederates at the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective have developed an alternative.
—IEEE Spectrum, 19 Sep. 2016
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Authorities are accusing Antonio Hernandez and confederates Ivan Murillo-Hernandez and Alexis Garcia Martinez of ripping off mail from unsuspecting venues with the help of four juveniles, whose names were not released.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for confederate
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Adjective
The series somewhat downplays the real-life danger: In the show, men in a truck wagging a confederate flag egg Ali’s lodge.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024
President Lincoln was assassinated by a confederate sympathizer.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Noun
Earlier in the same month, a poet named Yvan Goll published his own Surrealist Manifesto, backed by a completely different group of artistic confederates, standing for a completely different ideal.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
So, for those who do depend on the EpiPen to routinely save their own lives, Laufer and his pharma-hacking confederates at the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective have developed an alternative.
—IEEE Spectrum, 19 Sep. 2016
Verb
Rowling and longtime confederates Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts are exec producing, so she is expected to be involved in the decision-making on the series.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Authorities are accusing Antonio Hernandez and confederates Ivan Murillo-Hernandez and Alexis Garcia Martinez of ripping off mail from unsuspecting venues with the help of four juveniles, whose names were not released.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for confederate
Cite this Entry
“Confederate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confederate. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confederate
1 of 3 adjective
con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfed-(ə-)rət
1
: united in a league : allied
2
capitalized
: of or relating to the Confederate States of America
Confederate money
confederate
2 of 3 noun2
capitalized
: a soldier, citizen, or supporter of the Confederate States of America
confederate
3 of 3 verb
con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfed-ə-ˌrāt
confederated; confederating
: to unite in a confederacy
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