alliance

noun

ə-ˈlī-ən(t)s How to pronounce alliance (audio)
Definition of alliancenext
1
as in treaty
a formal agreement between two or more nations or peoples the smaller countries signed an alliance pledging to protect one another against the belligerent behemoth in their midst

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in coalition
an association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection an alliance between the French and the Algonquians to check Iroquois advances into their territory

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in partnership
the state of having shared interests or efforts (as in social or business matters) in alliance with booksellers, the nation's schools are promoting National Reading Month

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alliance So did their strong three-person alliance, which through strategic gameplay and season-long dominance ensured at least one of them would have a real shot at winning the game. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026 With five out of ten votes on their side (Sharonda, Linnea, Eric, Alexis, and Sharonda’s ally Kristin), the group’s next job is to convince Ori, who Sharonda has a secret alliance with, to vote with them. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 And Putin is now engaging in all kinds of provocations against NATO states, including by floating drones over the alliance’s territory. — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 But there is not just one uniform national shortage, the alliance found. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for alliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alliance
  1. treaty
  2. coalition
  3. partnership
  4. pact
  5. confederacy
  6. association
  7. union
  8. collaboration
Noun
  • The sci-fi concept of a supersonic airliner became reality only after France and Britain signed a 1962 treaty to develop Concorde, jointly tackling technical quandaries commercial aviation had never faced.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Canada has one of the densest networks of co-production treaties in the world, potentially opening access to more public funding options and giving the film recognition as a national production in both countries.
    — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of treaty
Noun
  • Even if the wars do continue, the identities of both major parties are in flux—existing coalitions are shaky, and the tremors could lead to unexpectedly competitive races in seats drawn around outdated assumptions.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Fox News Digital extracted the names from the logos and built a database of the coalition.
    — Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of coalition
Noun
  • The Italian deal extends a run of international partnerships the guild has struck since the pandemic.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Set in 1969, the film follows how rising media tycoon Rupert Murdoch acquires UK newspaper The Sun and how his partnership with editor Larry Lamb (O’Connell) turns the paper into Britain’s most influential and at-times controversial tabloid.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of partnership
Noun
  • Tony Romo carved out new terrain at CBS Sports after revealing a knack for predicting game play — all but forcing CBS to re-sign the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback to a multi-season pact in 2020 valued at around $17 million a year.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As part of the pact, Sanofi is paying Regeneron $1 billion upfront, with possible milestone payments of up to $7 billion more.
    — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of pact
Noun
  • Seneca said the renaming violated the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, which was signed by President George Washington and the Haudenosaunee confederacy promising perpetual peace and friendship.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • July 4 birthed independence but also a dysfunctional confederacy.
    — Max Taves, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
Definition of confederacy
Noun
  • The clash added another layer to a campaign in which el Sayed’s positions on foreign policy and his associations with prominent progressive figures have become points of contention.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The hospitality and hotel sector is one of Europe’s largest employers, with more than 10 million people working across 2 million businesses, according to data from Hotrec, the association of hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés in Europe.
    — Ted Kitterman, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of association
Noun
  • Student and teacher unions have called for another round of nationwide school strikes next Tuesday.
    — Makini Brice, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • That’s the rhythm, the moral and spiritual roller-coaster of perfecting our imperfect union.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of union
Noun
  • Interiors for the Mexico project are being developed in collaboration with One Atelier, with guidance from Caroline Lebar, creative director of interiors at Karl Lagerfeld.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The latest agreement extends the collaboration beyond inspection, making logistics a formal area of development.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of collaboration

Browse Nearby Words

alleyways
alliance
alliances
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alliance. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on alliance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alliance

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All