confederation

noun

con·​fed·​er·​a·​tion kən-ˌfe-də-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce confederation (audio)
1
: an act of confederating : a state of being confederated : alliance
2
: league

Examples of confederation in a Sentence

the smaller nations were forced to form a confederation out of self-defense the big-budget movie was produced by the studio in confederation with another in order to lower the risk
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Here is how many nations from other confederations will qualify for the 48-team World Cup. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2025 After the invasion of Ukraine, UEFA and Fifa kicked Russia out of the global game after Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic refused to play the country, but Russian as well as Belarusian officials have retained a prominent presence in the European confederation. Samindra Kunti, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 At the heart of this debate is not just hostility to social justice but an even more fundamental question: Does America want to be a unified country or merely a confederation of states with vastly different rules, standards, and rights? David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025 And by reversing a one-goal loss to Herediano last week in Costa Rica, Wednesday’s result gave the Galaxy a 4-2 aggregate-goal victory in the two-leg round-of-16 playoff, lifting the team into the quarterfinals of the confederation’s most prestigious club competition for the first time in a decade. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confederation

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of confederation was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Confederation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confederation. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

confederation

noun
con·​fed·​er·​a·​tion kən-ˌfed-ə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce confederation (audio)
1
: an act of confederating : a state of being confederated : alliance
2

More from Merriam-Webster on confederation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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