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

• alliance
• axis
• bloc
• block
• coalition
• combination
• combine
• confederacy
• confederation
• league
• union

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

The federation has placed all of its chips on World Cup success; Ancelotti’s contract ends after the tournament. —Jack Lang, New York Times, 16 May 2025

The federation is an umbrella group for about 1,300 unions that represent around 2.3 million workers in the public and private sectors. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025

Their ultimate goal is to help African clubs, federations, and athletes gain recognition and financial support from global brands. —Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

However, the legislation faced opposition from the Florida AFL-CIO, the state's largest federation of labor unions. —Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025

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