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

These licenses give Fanatics/Topps the rights to use the intellectual property of the respective soccer federations — their names, logos, crests that appear on uniforms and uniform designs — on trading cards and stickers. —Larry Holder, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

The rally was organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, a massive organization with close ties to the government and the Communist Party, to honor the late Vilma Espín, the federation’s founder, a guerrilla fighter and Raúl Castro’s wife. —ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026

The nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran described Kohler as the head of a federation of teachers unions in France, with Paris being her partner. —Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026

On Saturday, April 4, the 28-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Patricia Baena achieved a win in a second bodybuilding federation. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 5 Apr. 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