syndicate

[ noun sin-di-kit; verb sin-di-keyt ]

noun

1. a group of individuals or organizations combined or making a joint effort to undertake some specific duty or carry out specific transactions or negotiations:

   The local furniture store is individually owned, but is part of a buying syndicate.

2. a combination of bankers or capitalists formed for the purpose of carrying out some project requiring large resources of capital, as the underwriting of an issue of stock or bonds.
3. Journalism.
   1. an agency that buys articles, stories, columns, photographs, comic strips, or other features and distributes them for simultaneous publication in a number of newspapers or periodicals. Compare boilerplate ( def 2a ).
   2. a business organization owning and operating a number of newspapers; newspaper chain.
4. a group, combination, or association of gangsters controlling organized crime or one type of crime, especially in one region of the country.
5. a council or body of syndics.
6. a local organization of employers or employees in Italy during the Fascist regime.

verb (used with object)

, syn·di·cat·ed, syn·di·cat·ing.

1. to combine into a syndicate.
2. to publish simultaneously, or supply for simultaneous publication, in a number of newspapers or other periodicals:

   Her column is syndicated in 120 papers.

3. Television. to sell (a program, series, etc.) directly to independent stations.
4. to sell shares in or offer participation in the financial sharing of (a risk venture, loan, or the like):

   to syndicate a racehorse among speculators;

   to syndicate a loan among several banks.

verb (used without object)

, syn·di·cat·ed, syn·di·cat·ing.

1. to combine to form a syndicate.

syndicate

noun

1. an association of business enterprises or individuals organized to undertake a joint project requiring considerable capital
2. a news agency that sells articles, photographs, etc, to a number of newspapers for simultaneous publication
3. any association formed to carry out an enterprise or enterprises of common interest to its members
4. a board of syndics or the office of syndic
5. (in Italy under the Fascists) a local organization of employers or employees

verb

1. tr to sell (articles, photographs, etc) to several newspapers for simultaneous publication
2. tr to sell (a programme or programmes) to several local commercial television or radio stations
3. to form a syndicate of (people)

Derived Forms

• ˌsyndiˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• syn·di·cat·a·ble adjective
• syn·di·ca·tion [sin-di-, key, -sh, uh, n] noun
• sub·syn·di·cate noun
• su·per·syn·di·cate noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of syndicate¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Middle French syndicat “office of syndic, board of syndics,” from Medieval Latin syndicātus, equivalent to syndic + -ate ³( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of syndicate¹

C17: from Old French syndicat office of a syndic

Example Sentences

With an early coup — the first cartoonist they signed was Garry Trudeau, then a student cartoonist for the Yale Daily News and later of “Doonesbury” fame — their operation grew into the world’s largest independent newspaper syndicate.

From Washington Post

If the syndicate knew that it would be on the hook for lawsuits, Pearson reasoned, it would force him to cut controversial accusations and to issue retractions in response to legal threats.

From Washington Post

The money went out quickly but was sometimes taken advantage of by larger companies that did not need it and criminal syndicates that escaped detection.

From Washington Post

Nigerian founders-turned-investors are now running syndicate fundsThis round is also a big step for Future Africa.

From TechCrunch

Yet behind the scenes, the FBI had been collecting fresh information about a suspected syndicate figure long tied to political corruption and violence in the 24th Ward.

From ProPublica

Héctor's older brothers Arturo and Alfredo were men with the right temperament to preside over a multinational crime syndicate.

From The Daily Beast

Seventeen months later, a recently awoken Kennex is obsessed with figuring out how The Syndicate planned the ambush.

From The Daily Beast

Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah syndicate still wielded the political power.

From The Daily Beast

Newsmax pays to syndicate their columns, and their stature lends the site credibility.

From The Daily Beast

It's all done on behalf of a syndicate, in which "everybody has a share."

From The Daily Beast

Bidault was one of the syndicate that engineered the bankruptcy of Birotteau in 1819.

From Project Gutenberg

Girra was a powerful figure in the metropolitan pin-ball game syndicate and had a piece of the number policy racket too.

From Project Gutenberg

He was on his way to pay the money to the heads of a syndicate in control of Chicago's gambling concession.

From Project Gutenberg

These men agreed to form with the Burbages a syndicate to finance the erection of a new playhouse.

From Project Gutenberg

They talked of Crozier's land deal and syndicate as they walked slowly towards the house.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• association
• cartel
• conglomerate
• gang
• mob
• organization
• ring
• union