organization

1 of 2

noun

or·​ga·​ni·​za·​tion ˌȯr-gə-nə-ˈzā-shən How to pronounce organization (audio)
ˌȯrg-nə-
1
a
: the act or process of organizing or of being organized
the organization of his material into a speech
b
: the condition or manner of being organized
a group with a high degree of organization
2
a
: association, society
charitable organizations
b
: an administrative and functional structure (such as a business or a political party)
The new president plans to make changes to the company's organization.
also : the personnel of such a structure
The organization will vote on the proposed changes.

organization

2 of 2

adjective

: characterized by complete conformity to the standards and requirements of an organization
an organization man

Examples of organization in a Sentence

Noun She is the leader of an international organization devoted to the protection of natural resources. He has been working on the organization of his notes into an outline. She is responsible for the organization of the party. The new president plans to make changes to the company's organization.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This story about emergency petitions was produced by The Associated Press and The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Annie Ma, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2023 Three human rights organizations, including the Dutch arm of Oxfam, have brought the case at the district court in The Hague, stating the export of the fighter plane parts enables Israel to bomb the Gaza strip. NBC News, 5 Dec. 2023 Formerly executive director at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, the British veteran nonprofit executive will replace Ken Ikeda, who has served as the documentary advocacy organization’s interim executive director since January. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Dec. 2023 The best fix, Franks said, would come from a federal law that can provide consistent protections nationwide and penalize dubious organizations profiting from products and apps that easily allow anyone to make deepfakes. CBS News, 4 Dec. 2023 Photos: Photographers with The New York Times and other news organizations have been chronicling the war, capturing a slice of how soldiers and civilians have experienced it. Oleg Matsnev Gray Beltran, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023 Nicaragua’s government has asserted ever more control over social and political life in the last few years, closing down more than 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, including Mother Teresa’s missionaries and a local branch of the Rotary Club. Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023 Federal funding organization, Screen Australia has announced 18 feature films, 10 television dramas, two online projects and one virtual reality (VR) project that will share in over A$900,000 ($600,000) of story development funding. Patrick Frater, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023 The police later declared that the violence was planned by a leader of the Bajrang Dal, a far-right radical organization close to the ruling BJP, over a WhatsApp group that had 456 members. Parth M.n., WIRED, 23 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Create cross-organization alignment. Hubert Palan, Forbes, 28 May 2021 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of organization was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near organization

Cite this Entry

“Organization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/organization. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

organization

1 of 2 noun
or·​ga·​ni·​za·​tion ˌȯrg-(ə-)nə-ˈzā-shən How to pronounce organization (audio)
1
: the act or process of organizing
2
: the condition or manner of being organized
a high degree of organization
3
a
: a group of persons organized for some purpose
a business organization
b
: an administrative and functional unit (as a business or a political party)
also : the personnel of such a unit
organizational
-shnəl
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

organization

2 of 2 adjective
: behaving and thinking in a way that an organization would approve of

Medical Definition

organization

noun
or·​ga·​ni·​za·​tion
variants also British organisation
1
a
: the act or process of organizing or of being organized
b
: the condition of being organized
2
: the formation of fibrous tissue from a clot or exudate by invasion of connective tissue cells and capillaries from adjoining tissues accompanied by phagocytosis of superfluous material and multiplication of connective tissue cells

Legal Definition

organization

noun
or·​ga·​ni·​za·​tion
: a body (as a corporation or union) that has a membership acting or united for a common purpose
organizational adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on organization

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