1
as in accomplice
one associated with another in wrongdoing
the police were able to track down his confederates once the thief started talking
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2
as in supporter
someone associated with another to give assistance or moral support
relied on her confederates in the medical community for support
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to cooperate
to form or enter into an association that furthers the interests of its members
the nations confederated in order to lower international trade barriers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in allied
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confederate
Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024
An article on Saturday about a school district in Virginia that voted to reinstate confederate names to several schools misstated the surname of a former member of the Shenandoah County school board.
—New York Times, 14 May 2024
Gregory Feifer, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2016
Yet, the real participants were surrounded by confederates, or actors, who deliberately gave incorrect answers.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 21 Nov. 2022
The holiday celebrates confederate soldiers such as Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
—Mabinty Quarshie, USA TODAY, 15 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for confederate
Noun
In 1865, he was appointed as the confederate secretary of war.
—Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024
An article on Saturday about a school district in Virginia that voted to reinstate confederate names to several schools misstated the surname of a former member of the Shenandoah County school board.
—New York Times, 14 May 2024
Verb
Complicit supervisors who managed the scheme made certain to give a cut to their confederates in local government, who no doubt passed some of it to their Moscow protectors because the racket was apparently widespread in the city.
—Gregory Feifer, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2016
Yet, the real participants were surrounded by confederates, or actors, who deliberately gave incorrect answers.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The Kinfolk app’s launch comes as fierce debate rages about the monuments staring down at us from city centers: those that pay tribute to confederate leaders, slave owners, or other tarnished once-heroes.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 21 Nov. 2022
The holiday celebrates confederate soldiers such as Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
—Mabinty Quarshie, USA TODAY, 15 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for confederate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confederate
Noun
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Prosecutors described how the fraudulent salaries were routed through U.S.-based financial intermediaries and accomplices, eventually landing in accounts controlled by North Korean agents and, ultimately, the North Korean regime.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
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The main 19-year-old Austrian suspect was arrested ahead of the planned Eras Tour show on Aug. 7 alongside an alleged 17-year-old accomplice.—
Rachel Scharf,
Billboard,
27 June 2025
Noun
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The President’s supporters have expressed anger and frustration over how the Administration has handled the case in the wake of the move.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
14 July 2025
-
Ryan was the sole supporter of his family at the time of his death, per the fundraising page.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
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The driver, identified only as a man, stopped at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
8 July 2025
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson continued to buck Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a pledge not to cooperate with them on Tuesday.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Sure, sure, the 1981 movie was set in the future — one in which the United States was at war with an allied Soviet Union and China — so the script gets a pass for trying to slip this past us.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
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The first batch of prisoners came following the Allied defeat of the General Erwin Rommel’s vaunted Afrika Korps in North Africa in May 1943.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
10 July 2025
Noun
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Trump has a history of diplomatic achievements that others thought impossible: sealing the Abraham Accords, getting allies to pay up for NATO, bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table.—
Jason Hausenloy,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 July 2025
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What does this mean for our schools?’‘ LGBT Center staff watches as allies make concessions David Heitstuman, CEO of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, echoed those fears.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
19 July 2025
Verb
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Despite the unprecedented tragedy, the team united in their decision to compete.—
Eric Noll,
ABC News,
15 July 2025
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The Sunshine Genetics Consortium, formed under the Act, unites leading researchers, clinicians, and biotech innovators from across Florida’s top institutions.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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In recent years, the race has become increasingly polarized, with partisan groups continuing to back their party's preferred candidate.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
14 July 2025
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However, some critics have raised concerns that national partisan elections could drown out information about local candidates, while others have suggested there are political motives behind the date changes.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Collaborate Securely With Federated Learning Models Leverage federated learning to train machine learning models collaboratively across institutions without sharing raw data.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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Key steps include: Building A Robust Data Ecosystem Determining the optimal data ecosystem architecture, whether centralized or federated, involves balancing coordination with domain-specific needs, governance and scalability to maximize data value.—
Tina Chakrabarty,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confederate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confederate. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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