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

Meta Platforms and a consortium of states reached a $17 billion settlement on Wednesday in a child privacy and social media addiction case that's hung over Meta stock since 2023. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026

The 49ers Enterprises group wholly owns United, but within that consortium, there are many investors with varying stakes. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox, reportedly sold 40% of Premier League club Liverpool to a consortium that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

In addition to the Lakers, Liverpool reached a deal this month to sell more than 30% of the club to a consortium that includes Jeff Bezos, Eduardo Saverin, Amit Bhatia and the Mittal family trusts. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 Aug. 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