guild

noun

variants or less commonly gild
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
guildship noun

Examples of guild in a Sentence

after his apprenticeship, he was able to join the stonemasons' guild
Recent Examples on the Web In the meantime, the guild will continue to hold space for puppet fanatics to come together and nerd out. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 For hundreds of years, residents of Valencia, Spain, have celebrated the arrival of spring and paid tribute to San Jose, the patron saint of the carpenters’ guild, by building and then ceremonially burning huge monuments made of wood, cardboard, and paper. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024 The Art Directors Guild, Local 800, is expected to follow the cinematographers’ guild, and eventually each of the 13 West Coast locals who are under the IATSE Basic Agreement will get a turn to present their own proposals. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 As a first step, the guild is now working to update its system to allow members to self-identify as ethnically Jewish on their profiles, an option that will be available starting this spring. Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 There will be demonstrations by members of the guild. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 The guild said reporters were asked to turn over confidential communications and which colleagues had voiced doubts about the original report. David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The film played to a packed room, with guild members and Academy voters staying long after credits had rolled to meet the filmmakers. Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 And guild officers said no materials had been leaked. David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guild.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of guild was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near guild

Cite this Entry

“Guild.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guild. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

guild

noun
variants also gild
ˈgild
: an association of persons with common interests or aims
especially : an association of merchants or craftsmen in the Middle Ages

More from Merriam-Webster on guild

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