coterie

noun

co·​te·​rie ˈkō-tə-(ˌ)rē How to pronounce coterie (audio)
ˌkō-tə-ˈrē
: an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose
a coterie of artists
a coterie of astronomers

Examples of coterie in a Sentence

her coterie of fellow musicians His films are admired by a small coterie of critics.
Recent Examples on the Web Tiger’s investment team, which has historically included a coterie of Wharton School graduates, Goldman Sachs analysts, and alums of Silver Lake Partners, does much of its own road-mapping, modeling, and inquiry, and Tiger uses Bain & Co. to conduct external due diligence services. Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2023 The latter is one of the poorest nations in the world; the former, buoyed by oil wealth, is among the richest per capita countries in Africa, though much of those riches are concentrated among a coterie of political and economic elites. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023 Inside, the eclectic coterie drank martinis and sampled Chef Doug Brixton’s delicacies. Ian Malone, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2023 Within these walls the queen could take a break from her queenly duties, entertain her coterie of closest confidantes, and play with her children. Leena Kim, Town & Country, 17 July 2023 Beyond Leo and his coterie, nobody knows how the money is being spent, or whether Seid put any restrictions on it. Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 16 May 2023 While no one had built an atomic weapon before the Manhattan Project succeeded, the science of how to build one was relatively well known among the world’s small coterie of nuclear physicists. Byjeremy Kahn, Fortune, 25 July 2023 During Paris Fashion Week, Osorio hosted a party to fete his new launch and, as to be expected, it was attended by a coterie of his inner celebrity circle, including Poppy Delevingne and Jessica Alba. Stephanie Hirschmiller, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023 Whereas some prominent voices in tech took to Twitter for all-caps concern tweets, the memo was unsigned, but it was authored by a coterie of almost 50 leaders within and beyond the tech ecosystem. Zach Everson, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coterie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "group of persons joined by a common interest," earlier, "group of peasants owing labor service or rent to a lord," going back to Middle French (Picard) "tenure of a free peasant," from cotier "peasant on a smallholding, cottar" + -erie -ery

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coterie was in 1738

Dictionary Entries Near coterie

Cite this Entry

“Coterie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coterie. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

coterie

noun
co·​te·​rie ˈkōt-ə-(ˌ)rē How to pronounce coterie (audio)
ˌkōt-ə-ˈrē
: a small close group of people with a shared interest

More from Merriam-Webster on coterie

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