confederate

1 of 3

adjective

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

confederate

2 of 3

noun

plural confederates

1

: ally, accomplice

2

Confederate : an adherent of the Confederate States of America or their cause

confederate

3 of 3

verb

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfe-də-ˌrāt 

confederated; confederating

transitive verb

: to unite in a confederacy

intransitive verb

: to band together

confederative

kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rə-tiv 

-də-ˌrā-

adjective

Synonyms

Noun

• accomplice

Verb

• cooperate
• unite
• federate

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

Adjective

Statues of confederate generals came tumbling down, and people were publicly shamed on Twitter and fired by their employers over remarks deemed racially insensitive. —Michael Collins, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025

Lady Patriot tells the story of a spy hunt inside the confederate White House during the Civil War. —Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025

Noun

Trump reverted back to the names honoring confederates. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 5 Sep. 2025

Yet could a new coalition of European confederates actually produce a nuclear stockpile capable of containing Russia, which holds the planet’s most colossal atomic armory? —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Verb

Reality-show judges could include Taylor and Travis confederates: Tree Paine, Sabrina Carpenter, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, and Patrick Mahomes. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025

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, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English confederat, from Late Latin confoederatus, past participle of confoederare to unite by a league, from Latin com- + foeder-, foedus compact — more at federal

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids 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 noun

1

: ally entry 2 sense 2a, accomplice

2

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