SYNDICATES Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

syndicates 1 of 2

noun

plural of syndicate

as in gangs

a group involved in secret or criminal activities a syndicate of counterfeiters

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as in cartels

a number of businesses or enterprises united for commercial advantage a powerful banking syndicate that controls loans in the small country

Synonyms & Similar Words

syndicates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of syndicate

as in contributes

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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 syndicates

Noun

Ramaphosa announced that soldiers would be deployed to support police in tackling gang violence, as the government steps up its fight against criminal syndicates. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026 Complex investigations to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates can require advanced equipment, Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, wrote in a statement. — Aneri Pattani — Kff Health News, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026 Informal mining is a deep problem in South Africa and is connected to criminal syndicates, according to authorities. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 DraftKing's internal data estimates 80% to 90% of prediction market consumer volume comes from betting syndicates and institutional traders, Robins said during the call. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026 Criminal syndicates operating throughout Asia use cryptocurrency to facilitate massive online fraud operations targeting victims around the world. — Mitchell Silber, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 His eventual involvement in an industry—created by smugglers and international crime syndicates, and in which big American zoos are also complicit—started with a single turtle. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026 Rather than working in large criminal syndicates as many Westerners assume, Yahoo Boys typically work alone, asking victims for money – most often in the form of gift cards. — Mackenzie Farkus, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026 Lucky Number Slevin, a movie about mistaken identity, rival crime syndicates, and assassins, was, for some reason (Josh Hartnett), one of the comfort movies of my childhood. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for syndicates

Noun

As Brazil has lost the ability to control its own security agenda, decisions about how to handle criminal gangs operating from its territory are increasingly made outside the country.

— MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
Around Wedela, Reuters reported that criminal gangs run the operations and use armed men to protect their territory.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of gangs

Noun

Massive stockpiles of methamphetamine smuggled onto the islands by cartels have spurred a widespread addiction crisis, seen as a key driver of an HIV epidemic that Fiji recently declared a national emergency.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
The work largely involves searching for clandestine body dumping grounds in rural, isolated parts of the state where drug cartels are active.

— CBS News, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of cartels

Verb

Georgia’s agriculture industry contributes more than $91 billion to the state’s economy each year, but farmers are facing growing pressures driven by high fuel costs, the impact of tariffs and an increasingly unpredictable climate.

— Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
The song’s pop culture influence contributes to its staying power.

— Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of contributes

Noun

The constitutional question has been litigated many times, and by our count, every state or federal appellate court that’s ruled on the issue has concluded that ALPR networks are within bounds of the Fourth Amendment.

— Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
As defense shifts from traditional armor toward connected missile-defense grids and real-time targeting, its components become increasingly central to the weapons and sensing systems that make those networks work.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of networks

Noun

VinFast is backed by Vingroup, one of Vietnam's largest private conglomerates, founded by Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, which has built an ecosystem around its EVs spanning charging and after-sales services.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Although Iran’s leading pharmaceutical firms are not themselves under sanctions, several of the largest are connected to sanctioned charitable conglomerates or to sanctioned individuals.

— Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of conglomerates

Noun

As the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’ newfound bond with a pair of students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip sideways.

— Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Even the Lindsay Clancy trial — hearing all of those conspiracies is fascinating, and I get sucked down a rabbit hole really quickly.

— Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of conspiracies

Verb

Others, including a company making electronic fuzes for shells used in Gaza, and another that manufactures parts for Israeli tanks, came after.

— Allegra Goodwin, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
But the racial narratives the media manufactures with her are as absurd as the maligning of her fan base.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of manufactures

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“Syndicates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syndicates. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of syndicates

noun

verb

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