brotherhoods

noun

plural of brotherhood
1
as in organizations
a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest they're a brotherhood of retired war veterans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in fraternities
the body of people in a profession or field of activity a family that has been part of the brotherhood of police officers for four generations

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 brotherhoods The most recognizable are Semana Santa, or Holy Week, processions during the final week of Lent where brotherhoods and robed penitents parade ornate statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary through cities, towns and villages alongside marching bands. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026 The most recognizable are Holy Week processions during the final week of Lent where brotherhoods and robed penitents parade ornate statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary through cities, towns and villages alongside marching bands. — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2026 Over this week, 61 Catholic brotherhoods snake through the city along the official parade route to Seville's Gothic cathedral and then back to their home churches. — Alexis Marshall, NPR, 3 Apr. 2026 Those meaningful bonds, or brotherhoods, are constantly at risk of being curtailed. — Sam Blum, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brotherhoods
  1. organizations
  2. fraternities
  3. associations
  4. corps
  5. societies
  6. professions
  7. institutions
  8. institutes
Noun
  • Free The Charlotte Pride Festival will feature live music, including a performance by Lauren Sanderson, along with hundreds of vendors, community organizations, food trucks and local businesses.
    — Evan Moore August 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • What organizations choose to do with that data, and who is accountable for the decision, is the question the surveys do not answer.
    — Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of organizations
Noun
  • While fraternities and sororities often have their own chapter gatherings and organizational conferences, the picnic creates a space where members from different organizations can come together in a more informal setting.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026
  • Members of five historically Black fraternities and sororities will be able to request Michigan license plates featuring their organization's logo.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Definition of fraternities
Noun
  • Soon after those 2011 protests, Brand Modi was carefully marketed on television channels and burgeoning social media platforms as the redemptive opposite of the images, associations, and stereotypes attached to the corrupt and feckless system.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing the companies together gives Kraft Heinz an opportunity to refresh those childhood associations for another generation.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of associations
Noun
  • Washington also has a relatively thin receiving corps heading into training camp, where veterans will report on Tuesday.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Trump’s particular hostility toward the press corps— and his years-long boycott of the dinner throughout his entire first term — was top of mind throughout the evening for all in attendance, including the president.
    — Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Definition of corps
Noun
  • Rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, guano transformed agricultural productivity at a time when expanding populations and industrializing societies demanded more food than traditional farming systems could produce.
    — Edward D. Melillo, Fortune, 27 July 2026
  • The competition for promotion and tenure, the awarding of grants, and admission to exclusive professional societies is intense.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of societies
Noun
  • As studios have adopted stricter health and sanitation practices, more people have embraced body art, and visible tattoos are now common in professions ranging from medicine and law to sports and corporate workplaces.
    — Rachel Brown Kirkland, AJC.com, 30 July 2026
  • During a Supreme Court hearing in May, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant appeared to compare some unemployed young people entering media, activism and other professions to cockroaches and parasites.
    — Penny Abeywardena, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of professions
Noun
  • Along the way, some businesses failed while others became neighborhood institutions that, collectively, created a place where almost every storefront seemed to have a story behind it.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026
  • Enrollment at private nonprofit and private for-profit 4-year institutions, meanwhile, was essentially unchanged, according to the website.
    — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Definition of institutions
Noun
  • Founded in 2021, Helical Fusion aims to commercialize fusion research conducted at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), one of Japan’s leading public research institutes.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, Beijing widens Japan export curbs, targeting drone makers, nuclear firms and defense institutes.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 6 July 2026
Definition of institutes

Browse Nearby Words

brotherhood
brotherhoods
brotherly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brotherhoods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brotherhoods. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on brotherhoods

Nglish: Translation of brotherhoods for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of mitigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

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

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All