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

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

In a similar vein, al-Sudani recently tried to push through an exclusive 5G cellphone contract for a different consortium affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Front. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025

Meanwhile, the team behind Rio Theatre, which is also in East Vancouver on Commercial Drive, successfully wrapped talks with the landlord for the Park cinema about putting together a consortium of local and international investors to become the next operator of the historic cinema. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025

The consortium of college athletics programs still won’t allow athletes or staff to bet on college sports, or share information with bettors. —John Shipley, Twin Cities, 25 Oct. 2025

Users of payments app Zelle will soon be able to send money overseas, as the consortium of US banks behind the service expands internationally using stablecoins, its CEO said in an interview. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025

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