fellowship

1 of 2

noun

fel·​low·​ship ˈfe-lə-ˌship How to pronounce fellowship (audio)
-lō-
1
: companionship, company
looking for the fellowship of friendly people
2
a
: community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience
their fellowship in crimeA. J. Ayer
b
: the state of being a fellow or associate
3
: a company of equals or friends : association
a youth fellowship
4
: the quality or state of being comradely
meaningful communication for building trust and fellowship
5
obsolete : membership, partnership
6
a
: the position of a fellow (as of a university)
applied for a research fellowship in physics
b
: the stipend of a fellow
c
: a foundation for the providing of such a stipend

fellowship

2 of 2

verb

fellowshipped also fellowshiped ˈfe-lə-ˌshipt How to pronounce fellowship (audio)
-lō-
; fellowshipping also fellowshiping ˈfe-lə-ˌshi-piŋ How to pronounce fellowship (audio)
-lō-

intransitive verb

: to join in fellowship especially with a church member

transitive verb

: to admit to fellowship (as in a church)

Example Sentences

Noun traditions that bind us together in fellowship members of a law firm who violated just about every ethical principle that the legal fellowship holds dear
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Savary also believed the Earth’s resources and the fellowship created by commerce were God-given. Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023 Wall completed her fellowship and residency at both Columbia University and Cornell University, and has worked with refugees and volunteered in hospitals around the world. Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2023 Today Battsengel is completing a policy fellowship at Oxford University and runs Girls Code, which teaches girls from disadvantaged communities and nomadic families computer programming. Barbara Ortutay, ajc, 28 Feb. 2023 The wooden world of a ship—a world bound by the Navy’s rigid regulations and the laws of the sea and, most of all, by the hardened fellowship of men—had provided him a refuge. David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023 However, those physicians who perform gender-affirmation surgeries do not need to complete a specialized gender-affirmation surgery fellowship, leading to mixed results for patients. Suzy Katz, Allure, 7 Feb. 2023 He was subsequently expelled from the National Academy, and his fellowship at the American Association for the Advancement was withdrawn. Cornelia Dean, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Mar. 2023 Someone or some groups of people formally submitted Saddleback Church for inquiry by the credentials committee to examine whether or not the church had fallen out of close fellowship with Southern Baptists. Deborah Netburn Los Angeles Times (tns), al, 1 Mar. 2023 Someone or some groups of people formally submitted Saddleback Church for inquiry by the credentials committee to examine whether or not the church had fallen out of close fellowship with Southern Baptists. Deborah Netburnstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023
Verb
Bring your favorite breakfast dish to share and enjoy this time to fellowship with your church family. Becca Martin-brown, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2022 But, with both of those gatherings based in Los Angeles, there wasn’t a similar opportunity for Black women to fellowship in New York City — and there certainly wasn’t an event catered specifically to the Broadway community. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 1 June 2022 Digital Grow Groups are made up of five or more people who gather weekly via Zoom to discuss sermons, the bible and just to fellowship and talk about life! Dallas News, 8 Apr. 2021 After the rosary, the guests and dancers fellowship with food and warm drinks. Carmina Tiscareño, Dallas News, 11 Dec. 2020 As a young orthopedic surgeon traveling to fellowship training in Philadelphia, I was stopped by a New Jersey state trooper. WSJ, 8 June 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fellowship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English felaweschipe, going back to Old English fēolagscipe, from fēolaga fellow + -scipe -ship

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of fellowship was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fellowship

Cite this Entry

“Fellowship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fellowship. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

fellowship

noun
fel·​low·​ship
ˈfel-ō-ˌship
1
: a friendly relationship among people
2
: a sharing of interest or feeling
3
: a group with similar interests
4
a
: the position of a fellow (as of a university)
b
: the funds granted a fellow

More from Merriam-Webster on fellowship

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