confederation

noun

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

Synonyms of confederation

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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
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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.
Meanwhile, the executive committee of the smallest and least wealthy regional confederation, Oceania (OFC), will meet Wednesday to discuss its approach. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 Once reports of the proposal to sell off stakes in the World Cup broke last month, three confederations — Asia, Europe, and North America — along with anger from world leaders and dissenting FIFA staff pushed Infantino to back down. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The executive committee of the smallest and least wealthy confederation, Oceania, will meet next Wednesday to discuss their approach. — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026 There are enough votes from those three confederations to bring down Infantino, but there is no guarantee that all members of these associations will vote in the same way. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 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

Rhymes for confederation

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confederate violet
confederation
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Cite this Entry

“Confederation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confederation. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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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
: league entry 2

More from Merriam-Webster on confederation

Nglish: Translation of confederation for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about confederation

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