federation

noun

fed·​er·​a·​tion ˌfe-də-ˈrā-shən 

1

: an encompassing political or societal entity formed by uniting smaller or more localized entities: such as

a

: a federal government

b

: a union of organizations

2

: the act of creating or becoming a federation

especially : the forming of a federal union

Synonyms of federation

• union
• confederacy
• coalition
• alliance
• league
• confederation

Examples of federation in a Sentence

a federation of labor unions

a federation of women's clubs

the federation of the states

Recent Examples on the Web

An endorsement from the CADEMs or labor federation could move the dial, but a decision to stay neutral could also be meaningful, according to Christian Grose, a political science professor at the University of Southern California. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026

Infantino in a letter to all 211 national federations put forth a September 19 deadline to accept his plan. — Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

Infantino leverages smaller federations' votes, who benefit greatly, to counter opposition from powerful confederations like UEFA, intensifying a power struggle within global football. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Europe's soccer body UEFA aims to call its 55 member federations to an emergency online meeting, likely on Thursday. — ABC News, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for federation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

federation

noun

fed·​er·​a·​tion ˌfed-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: a political body formed by uniting smaller bodies

especially : a federal government

2

: the act of creating or becoming a federation