federation

noun

ˌfe-də-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce federation (audio)
Definition of federationnext
as in union
an association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection the new organization is a federation of existing organizations that were all dedicated to preserving Civil War battlefields

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 federation The additions of Reese and Boston emphasizes the federation’s current youth movement under the tutelage of Bird, who began her Team USA role last year. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026 Regional football federations in both Asia and North America also came out in opposition. — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026 Carney’s comments came days after Infantino abandoned the proposal following fierce opposition from the Union of European Football Associations, national soccer federations and senior FIFA advisers. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 The Labor Federation’s endorsement could come with money and manpower, although Gonzalez and the federation’s leadership will have to decide how to allocate those resources among competing congressional and legislative races. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for federation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for federation
  1. union
  2. confederacy
  3. coalition
  4. alliance
  5. league
  6. confederation
Noun
  • Organizers from the Chaney Braggs Apartments tenant union, Belden Tenants Association and One Northside all spoke in support of PRO, including their own personal issues with renting.
    — Mikayla Price, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Nevada has the service industry unions because of Las Vegas; Michigan has the auto industry and associated manufacturing support industries; Virginia is home to more federal workers than any other state.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of union
Noun
  • July 4 birthed independence but also a dysfunctional confederacy.
    — Max Taves, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
  • The headstone, a memorial to texans who served the confederacy, was erected in 1964, which is to say the state missed the hundred-year anniversary of the battle itself but did remember to put it up in the year that Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
    — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of confederacy
Noun
  • The restoration runs through a coalition of four local groups, the oldest founded 26 years ago.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • There have been additional contributions to the coalition since then, which will be reported in September.
    — Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of coalition
Noun
  • As the company formed in a merger of Harris and L3 in 2019, the alliance sought to combine L3Harris’ strengths in tactical radio and spaceborne systems with L3’s expertise in communication systems, avionics, and electronic warfare.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Now sensing an opening, Lowe has sought to form an alliance with Farage, conditioned on Farage accepting some of Restore’s more extreme policies.
    — Reagan Yip, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of alliance
Noun
  • Offseason trade acquisition Mike Burrows is making another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, too.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The league has had players who were assigned female at birth and later came out as transgender or nonbinary.
    — S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of league
Noun
  • The fallout from that controversial attempt has divided the soccer landscape, with continental confederations and individual national associations all split on whether a change in FIFA leadership is needed.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Infantino may have won the immediate battle by abandoning the controversial plan, but the public criticism from three major confederations shows that the larger conflict has only begun.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of confederation

Browse Nearby Words

federating
federation
federations
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Federation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federation. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on federation

Nglish: Translation of federation for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about federation

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 balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All