confederate

1 of 3

adjective

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rət How to pronounce confederate (audio)
1
: united in a league : allied
2
Confederate : of or relating to the Confederate States of America

confederate

2 of 3

noun

plural confederates
1
2
Confederate : an adherent of the Confederate States of America or their cause

confederate

3 of 3

verb

con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfe-də-ˌrāt How to pronounce confederate (audio)
confederated; confederating

transitive verb

: to unite in a confederacy

intransitive verb

: to band together
confederative adjective

Examples of confederate in a Sentence

Noun the Yankees and the Confederates the police were able to track down his confederates once the thief started talking Verb the nations confederated in order to lower international trade barriers
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The series somewhat downplays the real-life danger: In the show, men in a truck wagging a confederate flag egg Ali’s lodge. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024 President Lincoln was assassinated by a confederate sympathizer. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Noun
Thousands of anticommunist agitators, professional patriots, and unreconstructed confederates gathered to protest and disrupt. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024 In June, the small left-wing magazine Jewish Currents summoned its donors and close confederates to a private event in a penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Verb
Rowling and longtime confederates Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts are exec producing, so she is expected to be involved in the decision-making on the series. Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024 Authorities are accusing Antonio Hernandez and confederates Ivan Murillo-Hernandez and Alexis Garcia Martinez of ripping off mail from unsuspecting venues with the help of four juveniles, whose names were not released. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for confederate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confederate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English confederat, from Late Latin confoederatus, past participle of confoederare to unite by a league, from Latin com- + foeder-, foedus compact — more at federal

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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

Dictionary Entries Near confederate

Cite this Entry

“Confederate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confederate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

confederate

1 of 3 adjective
con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfed-(ə-)rət How to pronounce confederate (audio)
1
: united in a league : allied
2
capitalized : of or relating to the Confederate States of America
Confederate money

confederate

2 of 3 noun
1
2
capitalized : a soldier, citizen, or supporter of the Confederate States of America

confederate

3 of 3 verb
con·​fed·​er·​ate kən-ˈfed-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce confederate (audio)
confederated; confederating
: to unite in a confederacy

More from Merriam-Webster on confederate

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!