consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)əm 

-ˈsȯr-tē-əm

plural consortia kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)ə 

-ˈsȯr-tē-ə

also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

A consortium of researchers decoded the honeybee genome.

2

: association, society

3

: the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

Synonyms of consortium

• organization
• institute
• association
• institution
• society
• chamber
• fraternity
• group
• council
• board

Examples of consortium in a Sentence

A Japanese consortium invested millions in the technology.

a consortium for the prevention of animal cruelty

Recent Examples on the Web

The Adaptation and Resilience Investors Collaborative, a consortium of ten development finance institutions, published a framework in 2024 for measuring adaptation impact in ways that are investor-relevant and can be aggregated across portfolios. —Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Whampoa Digital then joined a consortium led by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, which applied for but didn’t receive a digital bank license in Singapore, forcing the group to turn to other jurisdictions. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 1 June 2026

The Fed did not bail out the fund directly, but lent cash to a consortium of banks that took over LTCM. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026

Organized by a consortium of local LGBTQ organizations, including TransYOUniting, Qburgh, Proud Haven and Trans Pride PGH, the annual pride parade will march through Downtown Pittsburgh. —Finch Walker, USA Today, 29 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fellowship, from consort-, consors — see consort entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm 

plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə  also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

2

[Medieval Latin, marital partnership, from Latin] : the right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

also : the right of a parent or child to the company, affection, and assistance of the other

suing for loss of consortium

compare society

Etymology

Latin, sharing, partnership, from consort-, consors sharer, partner