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

Marco Cervone, construction manager for the consortium building the subway line, told The Associated Press that the terrain made the venture difficult. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025

Further consolidation occurred within the sector when a consortium led by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, alongside Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and Silver Lake, announced plans to take Electronic Arts private. —Alex Buckmaster, CNBC, 28 Dec. 2025

Similarly, the consortium’s efforts on mobility and accreditation are designed to streamline student transitions across institutions, support binational internships and research collaborations, and remove administrative barriers that often slow progress. —Adela De La Torre, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025

To those ends, Iran could offer transparency, limits on enrichment, and a possible regional mechanism, such as an enrichment consortium. —Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 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