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Synonyms

federation

American  
[fed-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌfɛd əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of federating or uniting in a league.

  2. the formation of a political unity, with a central government, by a number of separate states, each of which retains control of its own internal affairs.

  3. a league or confederacy.

  4. a federated body formed by a number of nations, states, societies, unions, etc., each retaining control of its own internal affairs.


federation 1 British  
/ ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act of federating

  2. the union of several provinces, states, etc, to form a federal union

  3. a political unit formed in such a way

  4. any league, alliance, or confederacy

  5. a union of several parties, groups, etc

  6. any association or union for common action

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Federation 2 British  
/ ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

  1. the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901

  2. a style of domestic architecture of that period, characterized by red brick, terracotta roof tiles, sinuous curves, and heavy window frames

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of federation

1715–25; < Late Latin foederātiōn- (stem of foederātiō ) a leaguing. See federate, -ion

Explanation

A federation is an organization made up of smaller groups, parties, or states. The United States is a federation; the states all fall under the same federal government. The word federation may be most familiar as part of the name of an organization — for example, the International Tennis Federation, the American Advertising Federation, or the National Wild Turkey Federation. If you follow World Cup soccer, you may be interested to learn that the acronym FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Although the groups within a federation are united around a common goal or ideology, they usually like to keep some control at the local level as well.

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Vocabulary lists containing federation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Artan's plight is the latest fiasco to hit the World Cup, with Iran's football federation stating on Tuesday that their allocation of fan tickets for the group stage has been revoked.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

The Iranian football federation said Tuesday that its allocation of tickets for supporters had been revoked and some team support staff were denied visas.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Iran's governing body says Fifa regulations state each federation involved in the World Cup receives 8% of the tickets for each of their matches, to distribute to supporters.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

“You always have doubt in those moments,” remembered Decio de Maria, then president of the Mexican federation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

The alliance could then manage Indigenous lands as a federation.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

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