fraternities

noun

plural of fraternity
1
as in organizations
a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest a firm believer in community service and a dedicated member of the local fraternity of Good Samaritans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in professions
the body of people in a profession or field of activity the fraternity of civil engineers

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 fraternities The investigation centers on two fraternities, Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026 What critics of fraternities rarely mention and most people outside the Greek community never see is the infrastructure that exists behind the letters. — Todd Buchanan, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Even more unsettling was the role that Robinson’s and Abbatiello’s fraternities allegedly played in the trafficking organization. — Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 And more than 90 organizations, including unions, Black fraternities and sororities and voting rights groups, have signed on as official partners. — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Court records detail the expansive cocaine trafficking ring that snared two Penn State University fraternities and led to charges against 14 people. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 The allegations stem from 2023 and 2024, Penn State said, adding that both fraternities operate off campus. — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 The operation involved members of the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternities, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that Abbatiello is among 14 people who are facing charges related to the coke trafficking operation where students and two off-campus fraternities were allegedly involved. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fraternities
  1. organizations
  2. professions
  3. institutions
  4. corps
  5. societies
  6. brotherhoods
  7. associations
  8. communities
Noun
  • Continue reading … — US adds Los Tiguerones to list of Latin American terrorist organizations.
    — , FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Michigan and a collection of environmental organizations contested whether an emergency existed.
    — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of organizations
Noun
  • Other people who have these kinds of professions can challenge themselves by not relying on navigation devices, and their brains will likely benefit from it, Wood says.
    — Renée Onque, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Looking at passing citizens reveals flavor text about their professions and backgrounds.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of professions
Noun
  • Foreign central banks and other institutions looking for a safe place to park their capital have diminished roles in the Treasury market and have increasingly turned to alternative havens like gold.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The weaponization and deconstruction of our institutions and republic are no laughing matter.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of institutions
Noun
  • His departure leaves Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka atop the receiving corps.
    — Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets dates back to 1872, and the school remains one of a select few public universities with both an active cadet corps and a civilian campus lifestyle today.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of corps
Noun
  • In that sense, these figures are best viewed not as perfectly precise scores, but as reminders of how quickly forces of nature can overwhelm entire societies.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In my time — and even today in conservative societies — this is very strictly regulated for children.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of societies
Noun
  • 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
Definition of brotherhoods
Noun
  • But the policies to alter schedules or cancel practice or games because of the high temperatures can vary among sports associations throughout the metro.
    — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The lower cost has led to a boom in surveillance cameras that businesses, homeowner associations, cities and police departments can purchase.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of associations
Noun
  • The loss of Native individuals led to the destabilization of Indigenous family units and entire communities.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The Brussels governing system is notoriously splintered along linguistic communities, which is one reason the Brussels-Capital Region failed to form a new government between June 2024 and February 2026.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of communities

Browse Nearby Words

fraternal
fraternities
fraternity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fraternities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fraternities. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All