guild

noun \ ˈgild \

variants: or less commonly gild

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of guild

1 : an association of people with similar interests or pursuits; especially : a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen

2 : a group of organisms that use the same ecological resource in a similar way

a feeding guild

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guildship

play \ˈgil(d)-ˌship\ noun

See guild defined for English-language learners

See guild defined for kids

Examples of guild in a Sentence

after his apprenticeship, he was able to join the stonemasons' guild

Recent Examples of guild from the Web

Since then, the guild has held a series of public meetings and forums with its members and industry leaders to address the issue.

— david ng, latimes.com, "SAG-AFTRA wants to end hotel room meetings in bid to combat sexual harassment," 12 Apr. 2018
Since its first show in 1972, the guild hosts a quilt show every two years.

— katie v. jones, Howard County Times, "Quilts of all kinds," 11 Apr. 2018
Laurence Zakson, who represented guilds for makeup artists, hair stylists and costume designers as well as a public employee union, said Monday's ruling was important because the wage protections now extend beyond California.

— author: maura dolan, Anchorage Daily News, "Prior salary can’t justify wage gap between men and women, US appeals court rules," 10 Apr. 2018
Loopy Ladies Rug Hooking Guild: Our guild is a group of women practicing the traditional art of rug hooking.

— Lake County News-Sun, "Calendar: Chess meet-up in Vernon Hills," 9 Apr. 2018
The guild always has Challenge Quilts in which participating members are given certain parameters.

— sara clarkson, chicagotribune.com, "Clarkson: Patchwork Pathways quilt exhibit features local art and talent," 22 Mar. 2018
Originally Mexico City had something of a guild influence as well.

— maria teresa hernandez, Fox News, "Reminders of centuries past emerge along Mexico City streets," 26 Mar. 2018
The game industry could instead emulate the job-based, cross-company guild structure prevalent in Hollywood, but the diffuse nature of job responsibilities and work locations could make that more difficult.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Game developers push for unionization amid insecure positions, excessive OT," 22 Mar. 2018
The guild meets the second Thursday of each month at the Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 N.E. Fremont St., Portland.

— mary mooney, OregonLive.com, "Spring yarn sales, 'YARN' movie, and Rose City Yarn Crawl 2019," 20 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of guild

Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi payment, guild; akin to Old English gield tribute, guild — more at geld

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

guild Synonyms

Synonyms

association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, institute, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodality;

alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership;

body, cadre, group;

circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, lot, set;

crew, outfit, party, squad, team;

branch, chapter, local;

faithful, fold, membership;

sisterhood, sorority;

cabal, confederacy, conspiracy;

band, gang, ring;

cartel, combine, syndicate;

GUILD Defined for English Language Learners

guild

noun

Definition of guild for English Language Learners

: an organized group of people who have joined together because they share the same job or interest; especially : an association of people who made or sold goods in the Middle Ages